Under-fire Michael Beale responds to Sunderland criticism after Hull City setback

Sunderland head coach Michael Beale

Head coach Michael Beale has called on Sunderland’s fans to get behind the team after their narrow home defeat to Hull City. A deflected Fabio Carvalho strike earned the Tigers maximum points and the win moved them back into the Championship’s play-offs going into the weekend’s set of fixtures.

It is the Black Cats’ third consecutive defeat and Beale had to listen to his own supporters chanting “you’re getting sacked in the morning” in the wake of Carvalho’s winner. The hosts were booed off at full-time.

Beale, who replaced the popular Tony Mowbray in December, said: “I’d ask the fans to get behind the players – I get the frustration. They can see the effort on the park from the players and any help they can give them, they have to understand the strength of that. When you’re at home and at a club like this, you expect to win and we’re the same, we’re bitterly disappointed.

“I’m only a month into the job. It shows the expectation on managers now. I think the fans have to get behind the players on the park because they’re a young group and I don’t think they realise the strength of their support to that young group in there.

“I’ll take what comes my way, I’ll take the responsibility of managing this club. It is what it is, if you win games people are happy and if you don’t, they’re not.”

Defeat leaves Sunderland in eighth position, two points shy of the play-offs. Next up for the Black Cats is a home clash with Stoke City on Saturday, January 27.