"Made the right decision" - Mike Dodds issues update on Sunderland manager search | OneFootball

Sunderland's season has been far from the lofty ambitions that many fans would have had at the start of the season.

The Black Cats finished in a very disappointing 16th place, and their misery was compiled on Saturday with a lacklustre home performance against Sheffield Wednesday which saw the visitors claim Championship safety with a 2-0 victory.

The main crux as to why they have been so poor is failing managerial appointments, but with a clear summer ahead now, and with no extra matches to worry about in the playoffs, there is hope that Sunderland can appoint a promising, long-term manager with a vision of getting the club back to the Premier League.

This season has been the Wearsiders' second back in the Championship, and it has been wildly different to their first. They spent the majority of their return campaign under the tutelage of Tony Mowbray, who guided them to a play-off finish, meaning expectations were the same - or higher - for this term.

However, after less-than-ideal form during the early to mid-stages of the season, Mowbray was dismissed and promptly replaced by Michael Beale, and that is arguably the appointment that derailed the Black Cats' season.

The former QPR boss was bought in hastily and was not allowed to bring in his own staff, meaning he joined the club with no familiarity around him. He also had to gel quickly with the dressing room, which he never really achieved, and most importantly, he did not win matches.

Mike Dodds issues update on Sunderland manager search

Sunderland fans will not only feel frustrated about how Beale was firstly brought to the club in such a clumsy way, but also about how long it has taken to find his permanent replacement.

Since Beale departed, Mike Dodds has been in charge of the team - he had previously taken in a brief spell as interim when Mowbray was sacked, but following Beale's dismissal he has filled in the hotseat once more.

He has not overseen a particularly positive remainder of the season, perhaps due to the hangover of Beale's tenure, but also due to never being sure of his own future, knowing he may be replaced at any point.

However, despite the frustration among fans surrounding the length of time this next appointment has taken and how it may have affected the Black Cats' season, Dodds has defended the process overseen by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

Following defeat yesterday in what was likely the last match of his interim tenure, Dodds spoke to the Northern Echo and revealed: "The club have had a significant amount of time to speak to a number of people, which I think was the right thing because the last appointment obviously didn’t go the way they wanted it to go.

"So, I think they’ve made the right decision from that perspective."

During his interview, Dodds also highlighted what the immediate future looks like simply from a squad perspective.

"I think it’s seven weeks until we’re back in now, so we’ve done all our preparation this week in terms of what the next seven weeks look like for the players from an off-season perspective," Dodds continued.

"We’ve started planning the first few weeks of pre-season.

"I feel like I’ve spoken a huge amount, and in the next seven weeks of the off season and then the six weeks of pre-season, it’s going to be a huge period for the football club, and actions will speak louder than words.”

Mike Dodds will be sticking around at the Stadium of Light

Rumours have been swirling in recent weeks regarding who will be at the helm next season, with names such as Danny Rohl, Rene Maric and front-runner Will Still all being mentioned by news outlets.

Despite all these rumours though, it looks likely that Dodds will be staying with the club, in a more senior position.

In the interview with the Northern Echo, Dodds shared that while being so focused on the end of the season, he had been completely in the dark regarding a future appointment.

Dodds said: "I don’t have any indications at the moment, and that’s not because the club haven’t communicated anything, it was just because I was so focused on trying to make sure we had a strong end.

"Over the next few days, from a personal perspective, I’ve got some reflections that I need to have if I’m going to improve and get better. I’m going to be a little bit selfish in the next few days and focus on me.

"Then after that point, I’ll be back in next week and we’ve got a number of meetings planned, so I’m sure there’ll be an update next week in terms of where they are with the process and who the person is going to be.”