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Michael Beale has not held a head coach role since leaving Sunderland last year
Former Sunderland head coach Michael Beale has opened on how his time at the Stadium of Light has affected his outlook moving forward, and what he is seeking from his next role in the professional game.
The 45-year-old endured a short and torrid stint on Wearside between late 2023 and early 2024, lasting just a dozen matches in the dugout before parting company with the Black Cats.
Since then, Beale’s only other post came as assistant manager to Steven Gerrard at Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq - a role that he left in January. But after a tumultuous couple of years, the ex-Sunderland chief has outlined the kind of environment he would like to work in next, as well as detailing how his past experiences have informed his future plans.
What has former Sunderland head coach Michael Beale said about his future?
In a far-reaching interview with the Coaches’ Voice, Beale said: “Football is about feeling just as it is those relationships. For players it is their feeling about the way the team plays, about their journey, about how valued they feel within the team, and the relationships that form off the back of that. Regardless of tactics and the amount of money a club spends, feelings and relationships must be strong for a team to have success. That is why having staff who have come from a development background is important to me, and why having a development model inside a club is important. This is helped by having stability.
“For my next job I am seeking some stability in an unstable industry. I know that the things I want to implement take a little bit of time – time that could be as simple as a pre-season period, or a period where I am getting to know the players. The point is that it is more than just turning up with a tactics board or throwing money at transfers.”
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He added: “Everything I have done on my journey, I needed to do because it helped me to get to where I am today. Going right back to the time when I was coaching women’s football, coaching at Chelsea’s academy, playing non-league and coaching a men’s Sunday league team at the same time. All of that helped me develop at that particular time.
“I have worked for clubs where the demand is to win. I love the expectation and intensity that comes with these types of clubs. It is where you want to be, working inside a club where the players’, fans’ and outside expectation is to win. Fast-forward a few years, and I was an assistant manager in the Premier League at Aston Villa. Then came the step to being QPR manager. That job was very high-profile very quickly, because of how well we did and some of the circumstances in the background.
“Then I took on two huge jobs at Rangers and Sunderland. All of which means that I now understand a lot more about what it takes to be front and centre. As a young head coach, I feel so much stronger for the experiences that I’ve had, dealing with the pressures of first-team management. For me, pressure is a privilege that I welcome.”
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