Jack Clarke reveal could cost Mike Dodds the Sunderland job: View | OneFootball

It has been a turbulent season for Sunderland in the Championship.

The Black Cats made the controversial decision to sack Tony Mowbray in December despite sitting just outside the play-offs, replacing him with Michael Beale, but it did not work out for the 43-year-old at the Stadium of Light.

Beale was not a universally popular choice among Sunderland supporters, and after winning just four of his 12 games in charge, drawing two and losing six, he was sacked last month.

Mike Dodds will take charge on an interim basis until the summer, but he suffered defeat in his first game as his side were beaten 2-1 at home by Swansea City on Saturday.

The Black Cats currently sit 10th in the table, eight points from the play-offs, and they are back in action when they make the trip to face in-form Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Dodds has a chance of landing the full-time job if he impresses between now and the end of the season, with the 37-year-old said to have a good relationship with Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman.

Former manager Alex Neil is reportedly open to a shock return to the club, but that seems unlikely given the manner of his departure to Stoke City last August, while Marek Papszun, Paul Heckingbottom and Steve Cooper have also been linked.

Dodds' extended run in the role gives him an excellent opportunity to show what he is capable of, but news of winger Jack Clarke's injury this week could prove to be damaging for him.

Jack Clarke injury is bad news for Mike Dodds

Clarke has been one of the outstanding players in the Championship this season, scoring 15 goals and providing four assists in 35 appearances in all competitions so far.

However, the 23-year-old missed the game against Swansea on Saturday after sustaining ankle ligament damage in Beale's final game in charge at Birmingham City the previous weekend, and it has been revealed that he is set to be out for up to six weeks, with Dodds admitting that Clarke's injury is a huge blow for his side.

"He played 90 minutes at Birmingham and rolled his ankle in the game. When I spoke to him the plan was to train later on in the week, but the swelling just didn’t come down," Dodds told The Northern Echo.

"Jack was upbeat, and the feedback was semi-positive, but it came to early in the week and the rate of progress wasn’t what we expected or hoped so we made a decision for him to go and see a specialist on Wednesday morning to find out what was going on and the feedback is the feedback, which is a crushing blow.

"But at the same time, I’ve got to control the controllables and it’s something now for the next six weeks that won’t be in my head or in my thoughts. Like I’ve said a thousand times, it’s not just a blow for us, Jack Clarke would be a massive blow for any team in this league."

Clarke's goals have been crucial for Sunderland this season, particularly given the lack of a prolific striker, and there is no doubt that his creativity was missed in the defeat against Swansea.

The Black Cats do have players who can step up in Clarke's absence, such as Abdoullah Ba, Patrick Roberts and Jobe Bellingham, but few players in the second tier possess the same quality as the winger.

Clarke's spell on the sidelines could not have come at a worse time for Dodds, with three tough upcoming fixtures against Norwich, Leicester City and Southampton, and given Sunderland's recent struggles even with Clarke in the team, it is difficult to see them getting much out of those games without him.

With Dodds needing results in order to secure the permanent job, Clarke's injury will be incredibly frustrating for him, and a poor run over the coming weeks could rule him out of contention.

However, should Dodds find solutions and pick up results without Clarke, that would only boost his chances of being given the full-time role.

The Black Cats have been overly reliant on Clarke this campaign, but while his injury is devastating news, it also presents an opportunity for other players to shine, and for Dodds to showcase his coaching ability.