Alex Neil is being linked with a return to Sunderland to try to poach coach Mike Dodds. Neil is down a staff member on the training ground at Stoke City after ending Rory Delap’s time back at the club last week, leaving assistant Martin Canning, John O’Shea and new keeper coach Jonathan Gould in the back room department. The Mirror claims that Dodds is on a short list of potential replacements. Dodds was moved from head of player development to a first team role at Sunderland while Neil was in charge, having previously helped bring through Jude Bellingham during 12 years in the junior set-up at Birmingham City.
Just can't see this happening. He's Speakman's buddy. In a way its great to see further vindication of how good a coach he is though. If Alex Neil wants him having worked with him, he must be good. Which all evidence has pointed to, but there were SOME doubts over him due to his caretaker reign, which this will hopefully help put to bed.
Hope he tells Mr Neil to **** right off, Dodds seems to be a really good coach. I've already forgotten about his stint as caretaker...which I think he admitted he didn't want to do but nobody else was available.
Isn't Neil's coat on a shoogly peg at Stoke already? Why go there if you're getting the sack a month later.
Got to admit I'm massively softening on Alex Neil now. Sure I'd laugh if he got Stoke relegated or got sacked if he got close to it. I felt so let down with him for the first few months. But I find it so hard to hate the guy who brought us back to where we are now. I'm more let down by the fact I wanted him to be here for ages, I really liked him. But thats my problem not his. I just saw somebody earlier bucket him with the likes of David Moyes in terms of managers who've let us down. He disappointed us, but only after giving us the greatest gift he possibly could. And we are retaining our place in this division and he should be remembered as having played a huge part in our revival. If not the initial leading part.
He done a great job here and for that I'm really thankful for that. Unfortunately in an instant he showed he had no respect for the club by leaving the way he did. Being offered a job is one thing but he could have bloody waited until after the game, no excuse for that. I hope Stoke struggle and he gets the boot...the massive self interested backstabbing ****er that he is. He's still not Moyes level though...theres an unreachable shelf where that bloke sits.
Surely he'll just wait until we play them up here then do the deal behind everyone's back at full time?
I've said as much before. Got us promoted and for that there would've always been a piant on the bar if it never ended the way it did.
