What Sunderland fans are saying about Michael Beale appointment, Coventry loss and Tony Mowbray sacking

Sunderland were beaten 3-0 by Coventry in Michael Beale’s first match as head coach – and the Echo has asked fans for their thoughts.

The Black Cats fell a goal down on the stroke of half time after Tatsuhiro Sakamoto opened the scoring.

Second-half goals from Callum O’Hare and Kasey Palmer then secured the win for the visitors, with Sunderland lacking a cutting edge up front.

We asked fans for their thoughts on social media after the game - here are some of the responses:

@JonathanPlace1: There’s an inevitability about Beale’s management period of SAFC, like there was with Parkinson’s or Howard Wilkinson’s. We’ve seen it before. Everything is set up for failure this season, it’s already so clear.

@RokerEndDweller: Club on and off the field post Leeds (10 or so days) have just sickened the fans and killed off momentum.

@UdoMarin: Could be a season defining moment. The worst possible start for Beale. Look downwards instead of upwards from now on, I suspect. And Speakman‘s judgement under scrutiny

@markacuthbert: Not a surprise, manager no one wanted and no strikers. Get what you pay for

@SAFC_Kane: I’m glad it’s ended, couldn’t sit through that any longer

@dandydare935: We had a good team. The board didn’t listen to Tony about the requirement of an experienced striker, he gets sacked and Beale's first decision is to put Ba up front. Self imploding

@BilbaoBlackCats: The midfield is always easily bypassed. Every single game with one pass from defence, the opposition tears the midfield wide open and go on the attack resulting in the more clinical teams scoring.

@warrencarter09: Fans chanting for TM are the worst it’s not like he’s going to return. Need to get behind Beale otherwise he has no chance

@andy_lynn: Seasons is going in only one direction. Take Ballard, Hume and Clarke out this team and we’d be in a relegation battle. Midfield is woeful, we don’t play a recognised striker, and O'Nien is never a CB.