Michael Beale has urged his team to respond at Hull City this afternoon, but he is willing to accept criticism for Sunderland’s crushing loss to Coventry City.Beale’s first game as head coach ended in a 3-0 loss for Sunderland, a game he has acknowledged was a “eye-opener.” Sunderland had several excellent opportunities to score, but their persistent lack of aggression in front of goal finally caught up with them.
Beale said he had no problem taking any criticism he might receive following Saturday’s loss, but he will have to fight to win over fans who were unimpressed with his choice to succeed Tony Mowbray. Still, he’s made it plain to his dressing room that he anticipates a response.
Hull City, who are presently ranked in the top six, present another tough challenge.
“We cannot have a hangover in the Championship because it is a brutal league where you play every three days,” Beale remarked.
“There isn’t time for it. Without a doubt, we must pick ourselves up and present a new image at Hull. We have two very important away games coming up. They play against competitive teams and teams with momentum.
“A new manager has taken over at Rotherham, and Liam Rosenior is performing admirably at Hull. When we played Coventry, I considered them a team that might be able to prevent us from reaching our goals for the season. Hull is undoubtedly included in that category as well. They recently suffered a setback against Bristol City, but the league is really inconsistent.
“We need to address the events of the previous weekend. That opened everyone’s eyes greatly. Coming in, it was undoubtedly eye-opening for me. I understand that a lot will be written about me when I first come in. I’m glad to accept what happened [against Coventry], but undoubtedly our dressing room needs to respond.
Beale is optimistic that Alex Pritchard, who missed the Coventry City loss owing to illness, will be able to make a comeback to the team.
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