Sunderland fans allege that Michael Beale may have been operating a secret ‘burner account’ on Twitter to criticise both the team’s fans and owners.
Beale was dismissed from the club following Sunderland’s 2-1 loss to Birmingham City, leaving them in 10th place in the Championship and four points away from playoff contention. Mike Dodds will serve as interim manager until the season’s end.
The 43-year-old’s brief tenure was marked by controversy, including claims of unpopularity due to his Southern accent and a reported refusal to shake hands with Trai Hume. Now, a new revelation has emerged – and it’s a bizarre one.
Michael Beale Alleged ‘Burner Account’
Certain eagle-eyed fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, believe they’ve identified an anonymous account, “Player__ID,” which they suspect was controlled by Beale.
An incredible development in the Mick Beale/Sunderland saga…
Honestly, you NEED to see this.
THREAD 🧵
(Credit to @WhatTheFalkPod for the great detective work) pic.twitter.com/8aQWOfIOlB
— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) February 20, 2024
The alleged account, discovered by the What the Falk Podcast, defended Beale in various interactions with Sunderland supporters.
A tweet from 2017, promoting the account as Beale’s new business venture, was also uncovered.
Give @MichaelBeale new business @Player__id a follow and check out the website. You'll not regret it!
— Aaron Cawley (@AaronCawley81) July 15, 2017
The account retweeted a post from a Coventry fan branding Sunderland fans as “toxic.” The tweet questioned the appeal of managing Sunderland and criticised owners and fans for lacking support and displaying entitlement.
The Second Tier Pod shared additional screenshots, including a snippet of Beale’s LinkedIn account and tweets defending his time as Rangers’ boss.
The climax of the saga occurred when the “Player ID” account seemingly deactivated, prompting the pod to declare, “Ladies and gentlemen… we got him.”
Ladies and gentlemen… we got him. pic.twitter.com/T6FT4BqQGo
— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) February 20, 2024
The account’s bio indicated it was associated with a development program for players and coaches, featuring the Player ID podcasts hosted by @michaelbeale. Notably, Beale’s personal account appeared to have been deleted as well.
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