Sunderland unravelled in dramatic fashion at the weekend, with their problems on the pitch being accompanied by an increasingly mutinous mood in the stands, with a significant section of the Stadium of Light support chanting their support for Beale’s predecessor, Tony Mowbray.

The newly-installed head coach can understand the fans’ frustrations, and has urged his players to prove their mettle when they head to Humberside for their Boxing Day game.

“We have to respond to what happened at the weekend,” said Beale. “That was a big eye-opener for everyone. It was certainly an eye-opener for me coming in. A lot will be written about me coming in, and I get that. I’m happy to take what happened (against Coventry), but there’s got to be a response within our dressing room.