Michael Beale is facing claims he defended his Sunderland record using an anonymous social media account before he was sacked.
The 43-year-old was relieved of his duties after two months in charge at the Stadium of Light, winning just two of 12 games in charge.
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Fan podcast 'What the Falk' have since accused Beale of being connected to the @Player_ID handle on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The account, which has since been deleted, often sprung to the Englishman's defence amid online criticism.
Beale's LinkedIn profile shows him sharing the Player_ID logo and the original Twitter bio allegedly read: "Development programme for players and coaches. Home of the PlayerID podcasts - hosted by @MichaelBeale."
Meanwhile, a tweet from a separate account in 2017 reads: “Give Michael Beale’s new business @Player_ID a follow and check out the website. You’ll not regret it!”
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talkSPORT have contacted Sunderland for comment on the claims levelled against their former manager.
The account recently re-shared numerous posts suggesting Sunderland would struggle to replace Beale, including one particularly damning shot at the board which read: "If SAFC sack Beale who in their right mind would want that job? Owners that won’t back a manager in the transfer market and a toxic fan base will book the f*** out of him and want him gone as soon as they lose 2 games. The self entitlement is on another level up there.”
It also posted an alternative version of events after the ex-Rangers boss was accused of blanking a handshake with Black Cats star Trai Hume on Saturday.
The saga may remind some fans of ex-Premier League midfielder Robbie Savage, who admitted to making up aliases to defend his performances as a player.
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Speaking in 2017, the former Wales star said: "I was the most insecure person ever, to the point where when I signed for Derby and was having a shocker, you know those chat boards? I made up a name, went on them and used to say, 'Robbie played well today, didn't he?'
"Seriously, I was that insecure I used to phone newspaper reporters up if I got a six or a five in the paper and say, 'what are you talking about, what game were you at? I was at least an eight or a nine!'
"I was so insecure as a person, I'd have the best game in the world and I'd still think, 'am I going to be playing next week?'
"I'd phone four, five, six different people to say I played well."
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