For the first time, Tony Mowbray will face his old team, Sunderland, with Birmingham City, and his successor has spoken.
Michael Beale acknowledges that Sunderland will pay their tributes to their late manager Tony Mowbray prior to their matchup with Birmingham City.
In December, Mowbray was removed from his position as Black Cats manager, and Beale took over. Before being fired from Rangers in September, Beale managed Queens Park Rangers, which was his first managerial position in England before he was hired by Sunderland.
He will play against his old team for the first time since leaving Wearside. Birmingham’s match against Sunderland at St Andrew’s could provide the visiting supporters a chance to express their appreciation to Mowbray, who succeeded Alex Neil as manager and guided the team to League One play-off victory.
Beale told our pals at the Sunderland Echo, “First of all, I don’t think Tony has anything to prove to the Sunderland fans or people here.”
He didn’t get a chance to say farewell either, so that’s understandable, and I think our fans will behave classily. After that, we’ll play the game.
“Sunderland vs. Birmingham is an important match. The manners, which I believe ought tooccur, will occur, and after that it is up to us to travel there and obtain a resolution. In this league, every team has a stake in the outcome.
Birmingham could have a small advantage on Saturday since Mowbray spent December working in the Sunderland dugout. He probably had some influence over the players they signed and inspired them to make the playoffs the previous year.
Sunderland hasn’t made any significant adjustments to the team that Mowbray assisted in assembling since his exit. Leo Hjelde, Romaine Mundle, and Rhys Walsh from Standard Liege and Glentoran were also signed. Leo Hjelde was from Leeds United. Callum Styles, who was reportedly Birmingham’s aim last month, signed a season-long loan contract with the team on Deadline Day after leaving Barnsley.
The only two permanent exits from Sunderland have been Josh Robertson to Brighton & Hove Albion and Alex Pritchard to Birmingham. A number of players left on loan to play for Aris Thessaloniki, Oxford United, and Hibernian, including Jewison Bennette, Jay Matete, Eliezer Mayenda, and Nectarios Triantis.
“I think we’ll find out after the game,” Beale said in response to a question concerning Mowbray’s knowledge of the opposition.
He clearly knows who our players are. There might be one or two that he needs to convince of something.
“What I would say is there is a lot of respect for Tony Mowbray here at Sunderland and I think the fans will show that and I think the players will show that to him and the staff who worked with him.”