What you need to know about Cats interim management’s Dodds
Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor were confirmed as Sunderland’s new interim management team. Here, Phil Smith offers a background on Dodds’ journey in the game up until this point.
The pressure of a crucial promotion contest. Over 30,000 fans likely, and the small matter of a potential second debut for Jermain Defoe. Welcome to management, Mike Dodds.
There is of course a chance that Sunderland's search for a new head coach could be concludedbeforeSaturday,butthe club'sconfirmationthatDodds will lead the interim managementteamsuggeststhatatthis stage, the expectation is that it will continue into next week.
Dodds has been leading training in the days following Lee Johnson's departure on Sunday, underlining the esteem in which he is held.
He is a long-term colleague of Kristjaan Speakman, with the pair working together in various roles at Birmingham City's Academy.
Dodds coached various age groupsduringhistimeatStAndrews, and so the prospect of preparingateamandleadinga gamewillbeveryfamiliareven if the scale and intensity of this challenge may not be.
He also had a spell in 2020 as part of the interim management team following Pep Clotet's departure, alongside former Sunderland midfielder Craig Gardner and current head of coaching at Sunderland, Stuart English.
All the same, it represents a quite remarkable rise for Dodds just months after his arrivalattheAcademyofLight.
He was initially appointed to the role of Head of Individual Player Development, essentially overseeing the bespoke development programmes designed for each individual player across the U18 and U23 groups.
Sunderland considered it a
major coup.
In the aftermath of Speakman'sdeparturelastyearthere weresuggestionsthathecould betargetedforthevacantAcademy Manager role, but Dodds opted to stay and replace Speakman at St Andrews.
That was felt to be significant as there were major doubts about the future viability of the academy operation at Birmingham.
Retaining and promoting Dodds came as a source of significant reassurance for the staff,playersandtheirfamilies. The club then saw it's academy upgradedtoaCategoryOneoperation.Continuedturbulence behindthesceneswouldeventually lead to Dodds opting to join Speakman after all, but amid significant interest from elsewhere.
Dodds had a strong relationshipwithJudeBellingham as he burst onto the scene, and is also known to have played an integral role in the development of players such as DemaraiGrayandNathanRedmond. After Dodds’ departure from Birmingham and on his arrival at Sunderland, Stuart Englishsaid:“He’swellrespected and naturally had opportunities elsewhere, so it is a great endorsement of what we are doing that he felt this was the right place for him."
Dodds' role changed in the aftermath of Elliott Dickman's surprise departure for Newcastle United earlier this season, brought in to oversee the U23 team alongside Proctor.
As a coach he has long enjoyed a formidable reputation within the game, but this is a challenge unlike anything he has faced.