DODDS ON FAVOURITE
Mike’s in hot-seat at Sunderland for THIRD time and admits: I see my future here
SUNDERLAND’S interim head coach Mike Dodds will fight to keep the job on a long-term basis.
The 37-year-old took the reins on Monday – after former boss Michael Beale was sacked – and leads the Mackems against Swansea today.
Dodds has 11 weeks to make his mark – in his third temporary spell in charge at the Stadium of Light.
He said: “I want to be a head coach one day. My first opportunity might be my last opportunity.
“I see my long-term future here. I am not doing this to get the sack!
“I am really respectful of how big this club is. I am respectful there are hundreds who want this job and to be in this position. I won’t come out and say I don’t want this job.
“I am happy to help out, help the players and I love working for the club.
“It is a massive club and there is a massive expectation. I was quietly confident last time round.
“I am relaxed, but the size of the club is not lost on me. We will see how the results go.”
Beale was axed after a series of poor games and asked why, Dodds said: “The club don’t want me to be sitting here. The outcome is not one we wanted, and the players didn’t.
“Sometimes things just don’t fit. I liked some of Mick’s ideas, I will take some of them. I wish him all the best.”
The challenge now is to keep Sunderland’s play-off hopes alive. Dodds said: “They are a good group, but know we have to do more than we are doing at the moment. “I think I understand what the fans want from a Sunderland team. They want us to have a go. But we can have the best style in the world and lose the next five and I’ll be an idiot.”
The Black Cats have drifted off the play-off pace, but Dodds wants a winning finish to the season.
He added: “My mindset is to try to win all 13 games. I may lose one for being overly bold. Sometimes I may do well and get praised. If we lose I won’t. I accept that. We are looking to win all the games.
“There is loads of football to play, anyone can lose back-to-back games. Even the teams ahead of us. We have to do what we have to do.”
Dodds is Sunderland’s fifth boss in 25 months and said: “The club doesn’t want to be changing the coaches frequently. It was similar when Tony (Mowbray) left. I had a strong relationship with Tony. Mick (Beale) wanted to implement some of his ideas but there wasn’t a big shift.
“It feels there is a lot of change, internally there isn’t a huge amount of disruption.
“I don’t think there was a decline. The club wants a certain style. There needs to be more consistency.
“There are games when we did well with light at the end of the tunnel. We need fewer ups and downs.
“When we are good, (we need to) make it for a long period of time.”
‘My mindset is to try to win all 13. I may lose one for being overly bold’