Mike Dodds has been told why he is to blame for Sunderland’s ‘unacceptable’ defeat to Blackburn Rovers yesterday.
Sunderland endured their seventh defeat in nine games yesterday as they were thrashed 5-1 by Blackburn.
The visitors hadn’t won an away match since November, but their trip to the Stadium of Light proved to be pretty comfortable as we handed them goal after goal.
The heavy defeat came after two clean sheets and a win over Cardiff City, suggesting that perhaps the team had turned a corner.
Patrick Roberts and Romaine Mundle were the only changes from the trip to Wales, yet the starting line-up looked a completely different side to the one that breezed past the Bluebirds just days ago.
While there was a few individual mistakes here and there, journalist Michael Graham was pretty adamant that Mike Dodds should be taking ‘responsibility’ for the display.
Mike Dodds gives us no ‘imagination’
When asked on X what Dodds did to make the defeat his fault, he wrote: “The players are his responsibility. The team are a reflection of him and his work. Exact same as it was for Beale. On top of that: barely any subs, and when he did it was like-for-like. No tactical flexibility or imagination at all.”
When the same fan responded by stating that Sunderland were already 4-0 down at the time of the substitutions, Graham wrote: “He prepares them all week. He sets out the tactics. He is supposed to motivate them. He is supposed to respond and effect the game where needed. It’s a reflection of him. It is what it is.”
What was with Sunderland’s substitutions?
Sunderland were already 2-0 down at half-time and probably should have already made at least one change by their third went in just two minutes into the second half.
Dodds didn’t even bother to make a change straight after that either, but instead waited until the fourth was let in to bring on Chris Rigg, Bradley Dack and Jack Clarke.
Arguably the only one of those changes that made any sense was Rigg, but he should really have been starting in the first place – but we shall let that slide because of the quick turnaround.
However, Dack hasn’t made a positive impact on a Sunderland performance since he joined and I’m not entirely sure what miracles we expected him to perform at 4-0 down.
Jack Clarke’s substitution made absolutely zero sense either. The winger has just returned from injury and certainly won’t be fully fit, so why bother rushing him back when we are already dead and buried?
Dodds didn’t do anything else after that either. It’s like he was already completely lost and just wanted to sit back and wait for it to be over.
I do blame Kristjaan Speakman for appointing Dodds until the end of the season in the first place, but the 37-year-old has made decisions that any football fan could tell you was wrong.