Image Credit: Sunderland AFC
The ex-Rangers manager was sacked on Monday afternoon after only securing four wins from 12 games after taking on the role in December of last year.
He signed a two-and-a-half year contract in December however he has departed after only nine weeks leaving Sunderland FC 10th in the Championship in England, just four points off the drop zone.
The former Queens Park Rangers (QPR) boss faced scrutiny online after his teams loss on Saturday against Birmingham City after he substituted Trai Hume and ignored the defender as he made his way off the pitch.
The English manager made a public apology regarding the incident, claiming he had not realised he ignored Hume’s handshake and that he apologised to the player immediately after it was brought to his attention.
Beale’s first managerial job lasted five months when he was at QPR, convincing Rangers to appoint him their manager before he was sacked after less than a year in charge.
Mike Dodds, who joined the club’s coaching staff in August 2021, has been appointed as interim head coach until the end of the season
He has had two stints as interim manager already, when Lee Johnson left the club in 2022 and the well-liked Tony Mowbray who departed earlier this season.
In a statement Kristjaan Speakman said: “We are disappointed that Michael is leaving Sunderland AFC.
“Our desire is to improve and unfortunately that hasn’t been evident, as such we take full accountability and feel that acting decisively is in the best interests of the Club.
“This has been a difficult few months for Michael, who leaves with our best wishes for the future.
“Our focus is now on the players and supporting Mike Dodds in the remaining games to ensure we achieve the highest possible league finish.
“We will be updating our supporters further as and when significant developments are made.”
Beale’s 12 games in charge is the shortest spell for a permanent manager in the club’s history.
Sunderland hope to return to winning ways with Dodds in charge of his first game of his third interim managerial period with a trip to the home of Swansea City.