Swansea boss delivers Sunderland verdict and makes Michael Beale claim as Mike Dodds prepares Cats team

Swansea boss Luke Williams says Michael Beale is an excellent coach and doesn’t believe the former Sunderland boss did a bad job on Wearside.

Beale parted company with the Black Cats after just 12 games in charge, which included four wins, two draws and six defeats, ahead of this weekend’s home fixture against the Swans. Interim boss Mike Dodds will take charge of Sunderland until the end of the season, with 13 league games remaining.

Back-to-back defeats have left the Black Cats seven points off the play-off places, while Swansea have won just one of their last seven league games. When asked about his side’s next opponents, Williams was complimentary about Sunderland’s young team and referenced a trip he made to Wearside when Gus Poyet was in charge.

“I know they are a very good side and I think they are going to be in the shake up,” Williams explained. “I had the same type of feeling when I was watching the preparation, watching Hull, a team at the time in the play-offs in fifth or sixth position, when we went there, and I could see why.

“They (Sunderland) are a really good team, play with good fluid movements and have a bit of everything that you need in pace and power, experience, youth. They are a good side and it’s a tough place to go. I remember I went up there to visit Gus when he was a manager there, it was the first time I’d been there to like the training ground and spent time there. It was a really impressive place. Of course it’s a tough test but we’re prepared for that and are looking forward to it.”

When asked about Sunderland’s decision to part company with Beale, Williams added: “I think he’s a really good manager so I don’t think it can be good news for us. If they improve now it’s a problem because they are already pretty good and he’s a really good coach and a really good manager. I think from what I’ve seen he’s done a really great job.

“I know the standard is very high in the Championship to keep your job, and I know the expectation can be really high and make it difficult. I don’t think it’s someone who did such a bad job with the team that they are all over the place. I think that’s really not true at all. If a new manager does even better and improves them in five days then it’s going to be even more tough for us than we anticipated.”

Asked if it will be harder to prepare for the match, following a change in the Sunderland dugout, Williams replied: “I think it’s hard to know a few things like set-up in the formation and positions of players, what they will do from restarts, because maybe there are new ideas. We know the squad they have at this stage of the season, we know what the players can do for them, key threats and so on. We have some information that won’t change.”