A ‘kick on’ warning was given by Michael Beale to Sunderland as the Championship fight intensifies.

Wayne Bridge, a former left defender for Sunderland, believes the Black Cats need to improve if they expect to maintain their Championship play-off chances, but he hasn’t seen any indication of that under Michael Beale.

In December, the Wearsiders took the risk of firing Tony Mowbray, appointing former Rangers manager Beale to spearhead Sunderland’s promotion campaign. But in his first six games in command, the Black Cats have only triumphed twice. Their 2-1 loss at Ipswich on Saturday has left them outside of the play-off spots, one goal below Coventry City on goal differential.

“I wouldn’t say that Michael Beale has actually changed too much at Sunderland since he took over, they haven’t kicked on or anything like that,” Bridge told BetVictor. “The Championship is an extremely difficult league, with teams fluctuating between the promotion and play-off spots throughout the entire season.”

You don’t want to be outside of the play-offs at the end of the season, and Sunderland needs to step up because the league is so competitive and you can find yourself in and out of them. They have a good possibility of getting in there, but it’s really hard to call.

“Sunderlands haven’t really found that momentum under Beale yet, but they definitely have a chance. Anyone can beat anyone in the Championship.”