“I think we can safely say” – Clear Mike Dodds view given on his Sunderland future

Sunderland have lost the last six games, including the last four under Mike Dodds following Michael Beale’s sacking.

The Black Cats decided to part ways with Beale after just 12 games in charge of the club, and have placed Dodds in caretaker charge until the end of the season, allowing for plenty of time before a new manager could come in during the summer.

However, the current situation is slightly worrying for fans of the club, with Sunderland losing four in a row following Dodds’ reappointment, including a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City at the Stadium of Light and a defeat to Southampton on Saturday within that stretch of games.

Dodds hasn’t been able to work the same magic that he did last time as Sunderland’s interim manager when he won two games before Michael Beale was appointed. The club’s six-game losing streak is bettered only by bottom of the league Rotherham United.

Mike Dodds’ impact at Sunderland

FLW’s Sunderland fan pundit Jack Austwicke is
not keen on Dodds staying in a long-term capacity after a difficult start to life back in interim charge.

He said: “With Mike Dodds, it’s fair to say he’s not a manager, is he? He’s a good coach and he’s well liked, by the players especially – by all accounts.

“But he’s not a manager; not yet at this level.

“He had a good spell between Tony Mowbray and Michael Beale, but you can just see it.

“I don’t want to pin all the blame on him because he’s working with scraps, really.

“It’s hard to put blame on the players, either, because they have been hung out to dry in some sense.

“But Dodds will definitely not be in the running for the permanent position. I think we can safely say that.”

It’s fair to say the Sunderland’s board made a huge error when appointing Beale back in December. When they dismissed Mowbray, they simply had to appoint someone who was going to be popular with supporters, as that decision was not wholly popular at the time.

The club has decided to give themselves time by appointing a caretaker manager until the end of the season, so they will be looking at potential candidates between now and the end of the campaign, but their play-off hopes look to be all but over.

Sunderland have slowly drifted away in 2024, and things don’t look like they are likely to turn around any time soon, as the club have failed to build on a promising first season back at second tier level last season.