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

Michael Beale said he would 'take responsibility' after an acrimonious night at the Stadium of Light, but said that he felt chants calling his departure were not helping the team.

Sunderland laboured against a Hull City side missing a number of key players, and frustration turned to anger after Fabio Carvalho's deflected effort found the top corner midway through the second half. Some areas of the crowd chanted 'sacked in the morning', while there were boos and some chants of 'we want Beale out' after the final whistle.

Beale said that the result was harsh on Sunderland given Hull's lack of attacking threat, but said that he understood the frustration from the home support. He urged them to get behind the 'young group'.

"I think this young group are finding that difficult, it's the first time I've faced it," Beale said of the chants.

"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."

The decision to sack Tony Mowbray has continued to divide opinion, with Beale facing an uphill battle to win over supporters after a patchy run of results since his arrival. Beale said he couldn't control that but insisted that there were reasons to be positive.

Hull's win took them above Sunderland in the table and into the play-off positions ahead of Saturday's fixtures.

"It shows that Tony did a good job, that the fans are passionate and liked him. That's gone now, it isn't coming back, he's the manager of a rival club in the Championship now. He's got a lot of well wishers at the club, he's a man that I know from coaching against him and on the circuit, and he's a guy that I like. It is a decision that had nothing to do with me, I came in after that decision.

"I'm doing my best with the staff that we've got and this young group to fulfil our ambition. We've got 18 games to go and we're in a better position than we were in this time last year, so I think see the positivity. It's a club that a lot of players want to play for, that a lot of people would like to coach. That should tell you something."