Sunderland boss Mike Dodds has come under criticism following the 5-1 home defeat vs Blackburn Rovers.
Within just a few days, Sunderland have gone from ending their seven-game winless streak with a confident 2-0 win vs Cardiff City, to being thumped 5-1 at home.
The Black Cats welcomed Blackburn Rovers to the Stadium of Light on Easter Monday and would’ve been expecting to build on their positive performance in Wales.
Blackburn have struggled all season, but inspired by the league’s leading scorer Sammie Szmodics, they stunned Sunderland and put five goals past Dodds’ men.
Sunderland 1-5 Blackburn Rovers as Mike Dodds criticised
Several Sunderland players have been blasted by fans online following the Blackburn defeat.
Pierre Ekwah has come under the spotlight in particular with his work-rate and defensive effort once again called into question.
And Dodds has also been criticised for his lack of substitutions in the game.
The Black Cats went into half-time two goals behind and then conceded two more within 10 minutes of the restart, before Dodds made his first changes of the game.
He brought on Bradley Dack, Jack Clarke, and eventual scorer Chris Rigg.
Commenting on Dodds’ changes, Black Cats legend and pundit Gary Bennett said on BBC Radio Newcastle:
“You go 4-0 down, and then they decide to make a substitution. Bring three subs on. What do you expect them to do when you’re 4-0 down?
“And then you put Jack Clarke on. You’re 4-0 down and you put Jack Clarke on. He could easily have had a recurrence of his injury. What do you want Jack Clarke to do?”
Bennett added:
“I’m puzzled.”
Mike Dodds record at Sunderland
Dodds is now in his third spell as interim boss.
During his second spell, following Tony Mowbray‘s exit earlier in the campaign, Dodds shone, earning two wins from three.
But since Sunderland sacked Michael Beale and put Dodds in charge until the summer, the club have won just one of seven games, drawing one and losing five.
Pressure on Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman
As much as there’s pressure on Dodds and the players to finish the season on some kind of high, there’s arguably even more pressure on owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and sorting director Kristjaan Speakman.
The pair have arguably landed the club in this predicament with some poor transfer planning and managerial decisions.
Sunderland lack quality across the pitch and experience overall, and with a manager to hire in the summer, it’s certainly making for a critical pre-season on Wearside.
Another poor managerial appointment would really anger and disappoint the Black Cats faithful following a turbulent season.
Up next for Dodds and his side is a home game vs Bristol City this weekend.