Don't know why,but the permanent appointment of Mike Dodds would remind me of Malcolm Crosby.....nice fella,knows his football,players like him.......but.....
He may well be the best man for the job but, after Beale, I don't think the club would take the risk. I've noticed he has an edge to him and will call out the players so I don't think he's as nice as he appears. He must have some nerve to have stood his ground after the defeats ... ... and certainly wasn't shy of going over to the fans at the end of Saturday's game. Was that a message to the club?
My memory is fading but, weren't his coaches Stills and Nash? They were initially youth team coaches and their motto was 'Teach your Children'.
He wants it and always has, during the bad form he knew he had no chance of getting it permanently anymore so in an odd way the pressure was lessened and he could be more honest about players and performances, now it seems we might have come full circle and he is coming into contention again. I've always said I don't really care too much who is our manager so long as they can win games and move us forward, things like playing style or personality, whilst important, come second to success.
If he can take us to where we want to go,he'll have my support. However,isn't he on record somewhere saying he didn't think he was ready for it?
Anyone coming in after Beale was in a terrible situation, it took a brave man imo. Looking at the pro-argument you could say he'd twice outsmarted highly regarded Championship coaches of two teams higher in the league, West Brom and Leeds. Blackburn was dreadful but they've just gone to Elland Road and taken all three points. A win on Saturday might start to make people think, especially if it's a good performance. I'm not arguing for Dodds btw, just chatting.
Well, as @alcoauth says...unless it's been decided already,3 good results from here must put him seriously in the frame.
If they appoint Dodds, all of the "cheap option", "club don't spend money", "Speakman's mate" nonsense will start again. If not immediately, as soon as the first run of poor form happens. I'm not arguing against Dodds, I think he's a good coach. I just think the club would be shooting themselves in the foot, in PR terms.
Sometimes it's little things that make me raise my eyebrow. Sunderland could've gone through the motions at West Brom and got back on the bus. They didn't, that was a determined passionate display which was obvious at the end ... ... those players could've sent a message to the club that Dodds can't motivate them. Perhaps they were sending a different message
This is pretty much my feelings on it. Poor bloke has been through the wringer with us in just a few short months, looked like he was going to cry in interviews after some of those performances when we were on that run of defeats, then seemed to harden to it, which will probably be the making of him if he wants to be a head coach. I liked his forthright comments on Roberts the other week, a little harsh perhaps but maybe necessary and hopefully motivating to the player. Like someone said earlier, after the WBA win he was right at the front greeting the fans. He loves it here, but the line between the relief that victory provides and the pain of defeat is a razors edge, he knows better than most.
You're right,of course. However,the knives would be out if we paid compensation to appoint a bright young thing from abroad and it went tits up. Any kind of failure from this appointment will draw its' vitriol from whichever quarter. We need to get it spot on to get some unity and stability,with all of us pulling in the same direction. Getting it wrong again now,doesn't bear thinking about.
