Michael Beale faced the media today ahead of Sunderland’s trip to Birmingham City in the Sky Bet Championship.
Here’s the key talking points from the press conference…
Beale on right side of midfield...
‘We have to work on our right side.
‘We have lost Patrick Roberts but for Abdoullah Ba and Romaine Mundle, that is a big opportunity.
‘We have scored a few goals down that side as of late and you have seen that Abdoullah has been in decent form.
‘You have to find a solution with the players we’ve got and we have got talent in the room.'
Beale on race for top six...
‘There are five teams within one point of each other and you’ve probably got five coaches feeling the same at the moment. Results aren’t going perfect for anybody.
‘What is important is we find the resilience and the mental stamina that we need but we don’t go into the game feeling down or too high from the previous game. We are looking forward to going to down to Birmingham and showing a response.
‘We need to get into the march international break within touching distance or a shooting chance. After that, every game is a cup final but at this moment in time, it’s not a moment for panic. It’s a time to take a deep breath and realise there are areas of improvement.
‘I would much rather be manager of Sunderland than manager of the other clubs in this fight at this moment. We have to go into each game knowing that this league is relentless and it’s important that we stick true to what we are good at.'
Beale on Tony Mowbray and Birmingham...
‘I don’t think Tony Mowbray has anything to prove to the Sunderland fans or the people here. Our fans will show their class and he didn’t get a chance to say goodbye either.
‘But then we will play the game and that is Sunderland vs Birmingham which is a big game. The niceties should happen before the game but then it is about us going there and getting a result.
‘Every team in this league has something to play for.
‘It’s not a time for us to debate the last game. That game is gone. We can only respond on Saturday afternoon with a stronger away performance than we showed on Wednesday.’