Where do Mick Beale and Joe Edwards go from here after Sunderland and Millwall exits? | OneFootball

Michael Beale and Joe Edwards have become the two latest casualties in Championship management this week amid poor results in the second tier.

Beale only took over at Sunderland in mid-February, but with just two months under his belt and four wins, he was given the boot with Sunderland going into reverse from their time under Tony Mowbray. Edwards, meanwhile, has Millwall hovering above the relegation zone and the threat of League One football next season is a real possibility for the Lions, who were inches from securing a play-off place to the Premier League last season.

With the duo currently on the managerial scrapheap, Football League World takes a look at what is next in store for them.

Mick Beale on a downward spiral still after Sunderland spell

It could be extremely tough for Beale to get going again in the managerial game after his terrible spell on Wearside. The former QPR boss was the talk of the town after his spell at Loftus Road, where he dragged the London club to play-off contention against all the odds, and even heralded interest from Premier League outfit Wolves, which he turned down to stay with the R's.

Glasgow Rangers came calling shortly after, and following his stint at Ibrox as Steven Gerrard's right-hand man, you could understand the attraction - though it did leave a sour taste in the mouth for many after Beale had promised to give his all for QPR before leaving at the first opportunity after he snubbed the Molineux side.

A decent first season in Glasgow ended without silverware after Ange Postecoglou's Celtic ran riot, and following a poor start to the Scottish Premiership season, Beale was given the boot in October - meaning his stock had massively decreased from where he was a year prior at QPR.

Adding his Sunderland spell into the mix, it was a chance for Beale to redeem his status and prove himself once again as an up-and-coming manager on Wearside - but results aside, it's been his demeanour off the pitch that has sparked concerns. His handshake snub of Trai Hume in the 2-1 loss to Birmingham City was a real bleak moment and being sacked shortly after, it's tough to see where he could pick up from here.

Dropping down the leagues is a possibility, as is moving abroad, you feel. In terms of Championship clubs, there are surely not going to be many with an eye on Beale, despite his early success at QPR. He's struggled in big jobs with Rangers and Sunderland now, which has tarnished his reputation.

Edwards was given his first senior management role when he took over the Lions in November, but just four wins from 18 league games haven’t quite given him the start he would’ve wanted in that regard.

Edwards is still an extremely young manager at 37, and having been Frank Lampard’s understudy at Chelsea and Everton, he’s had vast experience in terms of studying the game and was part of the backroom staff when Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021.

Management hasn’t been kind to the former Chelsea star, and as an assistant, his career path is somewhat similar to Beale’s - though the Championship is an unforgiving division to prove your worth in.

Edwards should be afforded a second chance at being a manager, though it would likely be that he would have to drop down the leagues to prove his worth in the hottest.

Championship clubs that could hire Mick Beale or Joe Edwards

Of the clubs that are in the second tier, there aren’t many who will be in need of a manager at present. Of course, Sunderland and Millwall are two of those clubs, but it’s unlikely that either would make a move for Edwards or Beale respectively.

Stoke City are on tenterhooks with Steven Schumacher, but other than a major collapse from any club, there aren’t many who will be sacking managers from now until the end of the season.

David Wagner could leave Norwich City at the end of the season if the Canaries fail to qualify for the play-offs, whilst trigger-happy Watford are always an enigmatic club to predict and Valerien Ismael could be looking over his shoulder heading into next season.