What Michael Beale said about Rangers in revealing first Sunderland interview

Former Rangers manager addresses his Ibrox departure as he takes on new head coach role

Former Rangers manager Michael Beale has been appointed the new head coach of Sunderland.

Michael Beale has admitted he took on too much at Rangers as he addressed his Ibrox departure during his first interview as the new Sunderland head coach.

Beale was sacked by Rangers on October 1 following a poor start to the season less than a year into his Ibrox tenure, with Philippe Clement brought in to replace him.

And a day after Rangers claimed the Viaplay Cup under the Belgian’s watch, Beale’s appointment at Sunderland was confirmed on a contract until 2026 with the English Championship outfit.

Speaking to Sunderland club media, Beale pointed to the departure of key figures at Rangers – which included director of football Ross Wilson leaving to join Nottingham Forest in April – as being factors in stretching himself too thinly at Ibrox.

Addressing his coaching background, Beale said: "Five of the last six years I've spent up in Rangers in Scotland, which is a big club, in between a bit of time with Aston Villa and QPR, so I feel like I've seen a lot of things in football.

"I'm a hands on coach so I'm on the pitch every single day. I need to drive it. I need to show that energy and passion. I need to ensure that the team are a team for the fans, in terms of the work ethic and what they want to see. The basics of football first. My background has been on field coaching that's where I'm at my best on the pitch with the players. I'm determined to lead from the front in that aspect."

At pains to point out he has been appointed as Sunderland head coach, and not manager of the club, Beale added: "I went into QPR as a head coach and originally went into Rangers in the same role. There was a lot of changes with people leaving and I got pulled in different places. The thing that I'm really comfortbale with here is the alignmemt through the club. My role being in line with that as a head coach and having an opinion and idea on other aspects of the club but I want to be the coach of the team, not the manager of the whole football club. So this was good fit in terms of alignment. The conversations were smooth, there was a lot of common ground. I'm just looking forward to getting ready now with this and the exciting future of Sunderland."