Sunderland Mike Dodds update, Steve Cooper boost, Alex Neil talk

Mike Dodds update

Dodds has served as interim head coach three times already, the first two times coming after Lee Johnson and Mowbray left.

After Mowbray was fired in December, the 37-year-old had a great run as manager, winning two of his team’s three games.

Journalist Alan Nixon claims that if Dodds makes an impression between now and the conclusion of the season, he may be given the permanent position in the summer.

Dodds could be a strong fit for the team given his excellent track record of developing young players and his tight relationship with Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman, who “will have a major say on the decision”.

It was a tough start for Dodds on Saturday, and he faces some difficult upcoming fixtures, including Norwich, Leicester City and Southampton, but he insists he is confident his side can still make the top six.

“There are still 12 games to go and I am going to be really naturally optimistic because I know we have some really good players,” Dodds told The Northern Echo.

“The result today isn’t going to help the push for the top six but we still have 12 games to go, I’m still confident in the way we work, I’m still confident in terms of the group we’ve got.”

It will be a big challenge for Dodds to lead the Black Cats to the play-offs, but should he achieve that goal, he would surely have a strong chance of landing the full-time job.

Former boss interested in shock return

Many Sunderland supporters were hugely disappointed when former manager Alex Neil left the club to join Stoke City last August, just weeks into the Championship season.

Neil had only been in charge at the Stadium of Light since February, and he did an outstanding job, guiding the club to promotion from League One via the play-offs.

It was a surprise move by Neil to make the switch to Stoke, and it did not work out for him at the bet365 Stadium.

Neil led the Potters to an underwhelming 16th-placed finish last season, and he was sacked in December with the club sitting just outside the relegation zone.

However, with the Sunderland job available once again, Nixon claims that Neil is “open” to a potential return.

Neil would be a controversial appointment, and it remains to be seen whether owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus would risk causing further discontent in the fan base after the Beale disaster, while his poor record at Stoke raises questions about whether he would be the right man for the job.

Potential Steve Cooper boost

According to TEAMtalk, Sunderland are keen on former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper.

Cooper did an outstanding job at the City Ground, leading Forest to promotion to the Premier League in 2022 before securing survival in the top flight last season.

The Welshman was sacked in December with the club sliding towards the relegation zone, but he is likely to have no shortage of suitors over the coming months.

Cooper was linked with Crystal Palace, but the Eagles instead opted to appoint Oliver Glasner, and journalist Dean Jones does not expect him to be in the running for the West Ham United job if the Hammers part company with David Moyes in the summer.

“At the moment, I don’t think Steve Cooper is going to be in that conversation, but I can see why people would expect him to be,” Jones told GiveMeSport.

“Perhaps further down the line, if they were to be looking at options and they weren’t falling into place, I think he could emerge as an option.

“But, at the moment, I’m not being told that Steve Cooper is a candidate at all.

“I think that they are looking at someone who has got elite qualities in the game, primarily.”

The Black Cats will face plenty of competition for Cooper’s signature, but having fewer Premier League sides in the race certainly gives them a better chance.