Michael Beale reacts to ‘sacked in the morning’ chants and sends message to fans after Sunderland loss

“I’d ask the fans to get behind them, I get the frustration. They can see the effort of 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. For me, the result tonight was harsh on us.”

Opinions on the decision to fire Tony Mowbray have remained divided, and Beale will need to work hard to win back supporters following a disappointing string of performances since taking over. Beale asserted that there were causes for optimism despite acknowledging that he had no control over that.

With their victory, Hull moved up to the top of the standings and into the play-off spots before this Saturday’s games.

“It demonstrates Tony’s skill and the ardor and affection of his admirers. He is currently the manager of a rival team in the Championship, thus that is gone and won’t be returning. He’s well-liked by many in the club, I know him from coaching against him and on the circuit, and he’s a nice guy. I arrived after that choice was made, so it had nothing to do with me.

“I’m doing my hardest to achieve our goal with the help of this youthful group and the team that we have. I think you can see the positive aspect of the fact that we still have 18 games left and are in a better position than we were at this time last year. Many individuals would wish to coach at this club, and many players would like to play for it. That ought to indicate anything to you.”