Sunderland boss Beale responds as fans demand he's sacked for snubbing sub
Michael Beale has apologised after Sunderland fans lambasted the head coach for seemingly ignoring Trai Hume during their 2-1 loss against Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Black Cats took the lead courtesy of Jack Clarke midway through the first-half at Birmingham, who are now managed by Beale's predecessor, Tony Mowbray. However, Sunderland went back up north pointless following goals from Jordan James and Koji Miyoshi.
Unfortunately for Beale, things have only got worse for him after a clip of Hume being given the cold shoulder went viral online. The player walked past and put out his hand for a handshake, only for the Sunderland boss to look straight past him. The clip garnered a huge reaction on social media, with some even demanding that the former QPR and Rangers boss be sacked.
Beale has now responded to the incident on his own social media account with a statement. He wrote: "Trai Hume is a fantastic player for our club. He gives everything for his teammates and the staff. I wasn't aware that I missed his handshake until being asked about it post game. I immediately went to see him to apologise.
"Trai passed a fitness test this morning to play the game and I cannot hold him in higher regard as a man or professional. He is an example of everything that is good about a young footballer and our team."
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The incident is the latest fan backlash Beale has experienced since he was appointed as the club's head coach back in December. The move did not go down well with the fanbase, who vented their frustrations at the club hierarchy on social media.
He hit out at fan unrest last month, saying he felt that the backlash he's experienced was partly down to his cockney accent. Initially referencing the departure of Mowbray, who was a popular figure at the Stadium of Light, he said: “I didn’t sack him, did I?! They won two in nine before he left so are we making out it was perfect?
“I can’t change my accent or where I am from, you know what I mean, I am proud of where I am from. I haven’t worked in London for ten years, but obviously I am from South London. Six years in Liverpool, four and a half in Glasgow, a year in Brazil. My accent hasn’t changed!
“I am happy to be criticised if we can’t score goals or repeatedly make mistakes, but that one is a bit off. So if it is about football, fine. But I feel I deserve a bit more respect because of my journey, which deserves that.
“I think you are throwing negativity at the the youngest team in the league, with one of the lowest budgets in the league. I inherited a team two points out of the play-offs. Now it is three. We have lost two tough games and I don’t think the performances were terrible. Anyone saying they are, I can’t get on board with that.
“So you are just throwing negativity at a football team who don’t deserve it. I think sometimes I could say less, because I could be less honest, but that is not the sort of guy I am.
“You get on with the work. I am not crying over it. I am a big boy. Personal things, when it goes personal they have lost straight away. If people want to criticise the way the team is playing I will take that.”
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