After Sunderland’s previous two head coach changes, there were lengthy voids in the team’s leadership until new managers were named. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus took almost two weeks to select Alex Neil and Michael Beale in the middle of the season.
The club are now eager to avoid any further disturbances and were quick to appoint Mike Dodds as interim head coach until the summer – giving them three or four months to find the perfect replacement.
There haven’t been too many names thrown into the hat as of yet, with Will Still seeming to be the most likely candidate that the club will look to, after being linked with the Reims boss before Christmas.
The likes of Alex Neil, Steve Cooper and Marek Papszun have been mentioned as potential options for the Black Cats, though it is likely that Kristjaan Speakman will gather a long list of names during the remainder of the season and won’t be making a decision anytime soon.
That could give Mike Dodds plenty of time to prove himself too. The 37-year-old was brilliant doing his brief interim spell in December, guiding the club to wins over Leeds United and West Brom.
However, he got his third spell in charge off to a horrific start after Sunderland were dominated by Swansea City on home soil.
Journalist Alan Nixon has now rated Dodds’ chances of being handed the job permanently in the summer.
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