Michael Beale reality check as ex Rangers boss told he was DOOMED from Sunderland start with hard work 'all gone'

Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony reckons Sunderland were correct to get rid of Michael Bealeafter just 12 matches and argues that the former Rangers boss should never got the job in the first place.

The Englishman returned to the dugout in December, just over two months he had been given the sack at Ibrox after a poor start to the season. However, Beale didn't fare much better on the Tyne and Wear, winning just four of his 12 games in charge in all competitions and losing six, including a heavy 3-0 defeat to bitter rivals Newcastle in the FA Cup.

The 43-year-old was relieved of his duties in the wake of a 2-1 loss to Birmingham on February 17, in which he also appeared to snub a handshake from one of his own players who had been substituted. First team coach Martin Dodds has stepped up to the hot seat while the club plan their next move but his first game in charge ended in a 2-1 home defeat to Swansea last weekend.

Despite the upheaval at the Stadium of Light, MacAnthony has commended the Black Cats for swiftly getting rid of Beale after just over two months at the helm. Speaking on his Hard Truth podcast, he said: “I think Sunderland made the right call, that just wasn’t the right fit.

"It will be interesting to see what they do next. I know they’ve got the assistant in until the end of the season. It’s a shame, because Sunderland were having a really good season, but I’m not sure they’re going to make the play-offs now with all that’s gone on.

“They’re a massive football club, a massive football club. They have an identity like us, where they play a certain way, and I think that’s where they’ve had a problem with the manager.

"It’s tough. If Darren (Ferguson) left for a bigger club, I’d have to start