Sunderland stance on permanent Mike Dodds appointment now emerges
Sunderland have named Mike Dodds as interim boss following the departure of Michael Beale on Monday
This will be Dodds’ third stay as Sunderland’s interim manager, and it will also be his longest with the team.
Following Tony Mowbray’s dismissal, Dodds managed the Black Cats for three games; they won two, against Leeds United and West Brom, and lost the third, against Bristol City.
Following that loss, Beale took over, with Dodds continuing on as an assistant.
However, following a tumultuous 12-game run at the Stadium of Light, Dodds returns until the summer, and Beale leaves.
Mike Dodds has ‘potential’, but he may not be Sunderland’s man
Dodds is a well-regarded coach and someone who is widely reported to be well-liked behind the scenes at Sunderland.
And Michael Graham says that the Sunderland owners and board see Dodds as someone with ‘head coach potential’, but that they want a boss with ‘more substance’.
Dodds acquired his UEFA B License at the age of just 18.
He then went on to work with Birmingham City where he helped develop players like Jude Bellingham, before arriving on Wearside in 2021 as head of individual player development
Dodds has golden chance to prove doubters wrong
Recruiting Dodds in the summer would still be risky for Sunderland, even if he performs well in the last few weeks of the season.
It is evident that he does not have the experience of a no. 1. Dodds has now worked under multiple Sunderland coaches, although he has never truly spent a significant amount of time in the dugout by himself.
He’ll get that now, and if he does well then he could easily go off on his own and explore his opportunities as a head coach.
But taking on the Sunderland job as his first job seems like a really big step, and it seems like the Sunderland owners want someone with a bit more experience than anything else.
But Dodds remains an asset to the club and he’ll surely be kept around to work with whoever the next boss is, and should that tenure be another short-lived one and Dodds does well in these final 13 games, he could come into the reckoning then.
This weekend, Sunderland will play Swansea City in the Championship.
A victory would put the Black Cats back in the running for the top six and provide Dodds and the players with the motivation they need to finish the season in the play-off spots.
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