Hull City urged to push to appoint Steve Cooper amid Mick Beale twist | OneFootball

Former Sunderland boss Michael Beale has emerged as one of the frontrunners for the Hull City job

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Michael Beale has reportedly been interviewed for the vacant manager role at Hull City.

That’s according to Pete O’Rourke at Football Insider, after owner Acun Illicali decided to dispense with the services of Ruben Selles at the end of the season.

Beale’s most recent appointment as a manager was his short two-month spell with Sunderland in the 2023/24 season, and was last in work as Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.

We asked our Hull Fan Pundit, Cameron, whether he’d welcome Beale’s appointment at the MKM Stadium.

Beale would get a chance, but there are better candidates out there

Speaking to Football League World, Cameron said: “I think at QPR he was quite impressive with the resources that he had. His points per game was quite good.

“Looking at his stint at Sunderland, it's not that attractive. I mean, he was really stuck on playing out from the back, I remember them playing Newcastle in the cup and they just got exposed and I think when he came in after Tony Mowbray, it was set in stone that he was going to fail anyways, because they had their expectations so high. then you look at what Sunderland have gone on to achieve after he's left.

“He did attract a few good players. He's spent a bit of money, and he didn't manage to achieve success with them, so I think if the owners met him and they agree with him and his style of football, then it could work at Hull City.

“His style of play, playing out from the back, 4-3-3, could suit the players we have already in the building, meaning we maybe don't need to spend as much in the market on other players.

“So, I'm not too disheartened with him. There are still better candidates out there like Steve Cooper, who I would really love us to go for, but if Michael Beale was to come in, I would definitely give him a chance.

“He's done it in the Championship for QPR, but he's not managed to achieve success or sustained top-half positions, which is what Acun is wanting.

“So let's see what happens, and I wouldn't be disappointed, but I do think there are currently better managers out there, so I hope he's still interviewing for other candidates as well.”

Hull need a long-term recruit

Under the stewardship of Illicali, Hull are quickly gaining a reputation as a knee-jerk club when it comes to decisions over their manager.

Selles managed to keep the club in the Championship, but that was not deemed enough to save his job, despite many feeling he deserved next season to build.

If that reputation continues to fester, the pool of managers will to gamble on taking a job at the MKM Stadium will steadily reduce, likely cutting them off from some of the best candidates.

To wrestle back some semblance of control over their managerial issue, the Tigers need to appoint someone they can realistically see steadily developing the squad and their league position over the next few years.

Based on his last two tenures, at Sunderland and Rangers, both lasting less than a year, there are no guarantees Beale is that man.

It might work, and as Cameron says, Beale would certainly be given a chance by Hull fans, but with managers like Steve Cooper potentially in the shop window, if Beale is appointed it many not feel like the decision-makers at Hull have exhausted every option, and there’s a high chance they therefore end up back where they started 12 months down the line.

Illicali must ensure he focuses not just on next season but on the next few campaigns, as success is unlikely to be instantaneous at Hull.