Last weekend, Mike Dodds managed his first matchback as Sunderland’s manager.
On Saturday, though, the acting head coach saw his team lose 2-1 to Swansea City.
The Black Cats now have three straight losses, which hurts their chances of finishing in the top six.
Given his close relationship with Kristjaan Speakman, it may have also hurt Dodds’ chances of being named permanent head coach at the Stadium of Light at the end of the season. However, according to Alan Nixon, Sunderland may offer Dodds the position the following season if results are favorable.
With Michael Beale’s dismissal last week, the 37-year-old was given temporary leadership of the team until the end of the season. If he does well in the remaining months of the season, though, there is a chance that this will become a permanent position.
It is unlikely, in Carlton Palmer’s opinion, that Dodds will take over as Sunderland’s permanent head coach at the end of the current campaign.
He believes that a string of victories between now and the end of the season could persuade the Sunderland board and him otherwise.
“There are rumors circulating that, if Sunderland’s results hold up, Mike Dodds might be retained as manager past the end of the current campaign,” Palmer told Football League World.
However, they have lost three straight games and he is currently serving as interim manager, so it seems doubtful that they will qualify for the playoffs this year.
So once more, exercise caution when making wishes.
Sunderland may be holding off on making an approach for whichever manager they have their eye on until the end of the season, in my opinion.
“I believe the coach is probably foreign.”
Last season, under Tony Mowbray’s leadership, they made it to the play-offs and narrowly lost to Luton Town, the eventual winners who received a Premier League promotion.
“The backroom crew and Sunderland hierarchy value Mike Dodds highly, and they are doing everything in their power to keep him around.
If he continues to produce well through the end of the season, his name will undoubtedly be considered.
However, I believe that Mike Dodds taking over as Sunderland’s manager is extremely unlikely.
Despite the 2-1 defeat to Swansea on Saturday, Sunderland remained in 10th place in the Championship.
With just 12 games left in the season, the Black Cats are currently eight points outside of the play-off spots.
If Dodds wants to be the team’s permanent manager at the end of the season, he will need to quickly turn around the team’s situation.
However, rumors have connected the Stadium of Light vacancy to people like Will Still, Paul Heckingbottom, and Steve Cooper.
Dodds is not likely to be hired
Given Dodds’ high caliber, Sunderland will want to retain him in some role—even if it is not as head coach.
The Wearside organization should have no trouble filling the position because there is no shortage of candidates vying to be Beale’s long-term replacement.
Therefore, the club is unlikely to feel compelled to appoint Dodds permanently unless he wins the majority of his remaining 12 games.
Though he has served Sunderland well in the past as a break-glass option in an emergency, Sunderland’s next appointment should be someone with more management experience.