Sunderland has dropped eight points behind sixth in the race for a play-off spot.
Mike Dodds is faith in his Sunderland players and believes they can still have a significant impact on the race for a play-off spot.
Dodds was dissatisfied with his side’s poor first-half performance against Swansea City, with the two-goal deficit eventually proving insurmountable as the Black Cats fell eight points behind Hull City in sixth place. Sunderland have now lost three Championship games in a row, but the manager believes they can turn things around because they understand what went wrong.
“I’m disappointed with it,” he remarked of Sunderland’s continued consistency problems.
“I’m not sure if this is the correct phrasing, but my name appears above the entrance. That first half performance is not typical of Mike Dodds’ teams, and the second half is what we all want to see. I’ll have to rewatch the game; the part that I don’t understand is that we were supposed to be more aggressive in the first half, but for some reason, they had too much control and produced too many chances. It was a really awful 45 minutes.
“We shifted in the second half, becoming more cautious yet appearing more aggressive. There are still 12 games to play, and I am going to be really naturally optimistic because I know we have some really good players.
“Today’s outcome will not help our fight for the top six, but we still have 12 games left, and I’m still confident in the way we work and the group we have. Between my last game in charge and this one, I can see where we fell short, and it is something that we – staff and players – must accept. I’m looking forward to having a great week with them and the next games.
“I have a sense of self-confidence. I’m dissatisfied with the first half, of course, but I have a full week with them and am looking forward to the three games. We know what they’ll be, how they’ll set up, and what we’re getting into. Simply put, we need to outperform ourselves in the first 45 minutes. That is something I am convinced we can handle.
Dodds said that his transition to a back three in the first half was ineffective, but he will continue to make decisions that he believes will assist his team get on the front foot.
“I have to be authentic to myself,” he remarked.
“There needs to be a balance. It’s not lost on me how important this football team is to its followers. I’ve only been here for a short time, but I’m already in love with the location and the club. I’m not gambling with my decisions, and I’m not [sitting at] a roulette table, but I will make judgments that place us in a better position and in front of people. That was my impression based on the overall setup. In truth, it wasn’t. That’s something I’m very aware of.
“What I don’t want is people thinking every week I’m just gambling, that’s not the case. I will be really clear in terms of what I want to do game to game.”
