Sunderland appointed Michael Beale in December, but they could have had promising Swedish manager Kim Hellberg.
Disappointing season for Black Cats, originally aiming for new heights post-Tony Mowbray’s sacking.
Missed opportunity in not appointing Kim Hellberg as manager, Beale’s term failed to impress fans.
Sunderland’s recent home defeat to Leicester City ensured that any slim chance the club had of making the play-offs are likely gone, with just ten games left and talisman Jack Clarke injured.A season that promised so much has fizzled out into nothing for the Black Cats, and they look set for a mid-table finish.
This certainly wasn’t the plan when the club sacked Tony Mowbray on the 4th December, with the club in ninth place, just outside the play-offs. The plan was to appoint a new, younger manager who could take the club to new heights, but that hasn’t panned out for Sunderland.
The club took their time in finding a replacement for Mowbray, and despite being linked with plenty of managers, they settled for former Rangers boss Michael Beale, which underwhelmed and frustrated their supporters.One manager the club interviewed was Swede Kim Hellberg. In hindsight, this could have been a far better move for Sunderland and the club may not be in the situation they’re facing currently had they appointed the 36-year-old.
Sunderland may regret not appointing Kim Hellberg.
Hellberg has done it the hard way in terms of making a name for himself in the managerial world.
He began his career with Swedish fifth tier outfit Kimstad Golf, where he won the league, before moving to Kuddby IF, where he won two promotions in three years, before moving up to the top two tiers of Swedish football with IF Sylvia and IFK Värnamo.
He led the latter to fifth place in the Swedish Allsvenskan last season, before announcing in November he would leave the club at the end of the season.
This meant that Hellberg was a free agent when Sunderland sacked Mowbray. After being interviewed for the job, it certainly appeared that he was interested in the job at the Stadium of Light, and the Black Cats may feel like they’ve missed out after Beale’s unsuccessful spell at the club.
Hellberg has since joined fellow Swedish club Hammarby, and Sunderland’s chance to appoint him has gone.
In hindsight, appointing a young exciting manager of Hellberg’s quality would have been a risk, but there’s no reason why he can’t have helped the club sustain a play-off push. You feel as if Hellberg would have done a better job at the Stadium of Light than Beale did.
Michael Beale’s appointment was a very poor decision by Sunderland.
As poor managerial spells go, Beale’s time at Sunderland is right up there.
With the club linked to exciting names on the continent like Hellberg and Will Still, Sunderland’s supporters were underwhelmed when Beale’s arrival was announced.
Mowbray’s departure had also left a sour taste in the mouths of Sunderland supporters and Beale was always up against it from the start.
He needed results fast to make an impact on Wearside, and unfortunately, he didn’t get them. He lost six of his 12 league games in charge of the Black Cats, and a 3-0 loss to bitter rivals Newcastle United in the FA Cup only added to the ill feeling against him.
The final nail in the coffin for Beale’s time at Sunderland – in the eyes of the supporters at least – was when he didn’t shake Trai Hume’s hand after the defender had been substituted in his final game. The ex-Sunderland boss said he didn’t see the player offering his hand but many have suggested it was a show of disrespect that illustrated his poor relationship with the squad.
The club chiefs now find themselves searching for yet another new manager, and there is pressure on them to get the decision right this time. You have to feel the club must regret not appointing Kim Hellberg. Things could have been all so different with ten games remaining of the Championship season.
