Sunderland: What to expect in coming months under Mike Dodds
WHEN Mike Dodds was appointed Sunderland caretaker boss back in December after the exit of Tony Mowbray, he faced questions about whether he could cope with the top job.
In his first interim stint, Dodds had overseen defeats to Cheltenham and Doncaster, raising understandable concerns. But any doubts about Dodds disappeared a couple of months ago during an impressive spell as temporary boss before the ill-fated arrival of Michael Beale.
Dodds led the Black Cats to two eye-catching home victories over West Brom and Leeds, and although a defeat at Bristol City followed, performances and results earned the 37-year-old a promotion from first team coach to assistant manager. Now he’s back in charge and will be the boss until the end of the season at least, so what can his previous stint tell us about what to expect from Dodds and his Sunderland side in the weeks ahead?
If there was one main takeaway from the three-game spell earlier this season it’s that Dodds isn’t afraid to think outside the box and won’t shy away from bold decisions.
After impressively beating West Brom in his first game in charge, Dodds was understandably expected to stick with a similar side and set-up for the visit of Leeds United, who headed for Wearside on a seven-game unbeaten stretch at the time.
But the interim boss caught the visitors off guard by changing to a back three – a first for Sunderland this season – and it worked a treat, Jobe Bellingham scoring in the second half to secure a 1-0 win that remains one of the Black Cats’ best results of the campaign so far.
Had that selection backfired, Dodds would have been in the firing line but he trusted his instincts and was rewarded for his bravery. Expect the unexpected in the coming weeks.
THE EXIT OF A KEY MAN
That game against West Brom looked destined to end goalless until a second half Sunderland substitution changed the game. The player who was introduced? Alex Pritchard.
The forward delivered the cross that was turned in by Dan Ballard to break the deadlock and then set Dan Neil away for Sunderland’s second, in doing so earning a start against Leeds United. And he would keep his place at Bristol City.
We all know how things have since played out with Pritchard and while Dodds will have understood the reasons behind the 29-year-old’s exit, from a football perspective he’ll have undoubtedly been sad to see him go. With Patrick Roberts also out injured, the forward line will have a different look to how it did under Dodds a couple of months ago.
