Michael Beale sends a strong message to Sunderland players following their drubbing at the hands of Newcastle United.

Sunderland were defeated 3-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.

Michael Beale admits that he and his Sunderland players are disappointed with how long it took them to make an impact in Saturday’s crushing defeat to Newcastle United.

Sunderland fell behind shortly before halftime thanks to an own goal by Dan Ballard and struggled to create any chances. Alexander Isak then scored just minutes after the break and added a penalty in stoppage time to cap off a miserable week for the club.The Black Cats didn’t even enter Newcastle United’s half until they were 2-0 down, and Beale said his players needed to be honest with themselves about the gap between the two sides.
“The first half for the most part we defended OK but in possession we weren’t tidy enough, we didn’t show enough quality to show throw any punches,” Beale went on to say.

“We talked about being bold at halftime, made a couple of changes to get people higher up the pitch and bring the back four higher – and then we have the worst possible start, and that’s clear to everyone.”

“After that, we began to get into some interesting areas, and I believe that if we had scored, the fans would have done the rest for us because they were fantastic.” The third goal is even worse. When we arrived today, there was a gap between the two teams; my young team attempted but failed to close it. They must be completely honest with themselves about today, because only then will we be able to improve and use in the Championship. The important thing is to be honest and not hide the fact that there is a gap.

Beale expressed ‘100%’ regret for his team’s inability to make an impact, saying it was a lesson for many of his players with Premier League ambitions about the levels they need to hit consistently if they are to progress and thrive at that level.
“100% and we have to be honest about why that is,” Beale was quoted as saying.

“I had an idea, I think Newcastle at their best, under Eddie, are super aggressive in their press, they counter on you quickly, and that was part of the game.” It’s made them a Champions League team, the opposition my team faced was the strongest they’d seen, and I believe things became very real in our young team. We need to put that to use and get to work; I expect the level of training to rise because there is no uncertainty about the level. If people thought they were close to that level on a regular basis, today is a rude awakening. Now we need to get to work, and I’m confident that if we’re honest and use it correctly, we’ll be able to make significant progress very quickly.”

Sunderland return to action next Saturday, when they face Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

in other news, “A huge boost,” says Carlton Palmer of Jack Clark’s future at Sunderland.