All of the current top Sunderland stories including, owners urged to sell, why the Black Cats’ season derailed and Mike Dodds’ Luke O’Nien dilemma.
Sunderland’s owners urged to sell
Sunderland added another bleak memory to the 2023/24 season as they were hammered 5-1 by Blackburn at the Stadium of Light on Easter Monday.
The result only epitomises the failure the club has endured over the past few months which saw them completely fall out of the playoff race.
This has now seen calls for Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus to sell if he doesn’t invest in the club. This was by former bidder William Storey who claims that the club ‘need to get their act together’ after their recent defeat.
You can read more about Storey’s claims about the Sunderland owners here.
Two reasons why Sunderland’s season has derailed
It is now safe to say that Sunderland’s season is over. Despite much promise at the start of the campaign, Dodds has been unable to mount any type of playoff push.
Many fans point to multiple reasons as to why the club have suffered this sudden drop-off. However, journalist Phil Smith has pinpointed two major faults in the campaign.
Firstly, the decision to sack Tony Mowbray and appoint Michael Beale. The second was the club’s failure to strengthen in the January window.
You can read Smith’s full assessment of Sunderland’s season here.
Mike Dodds’ dilemma
Another big reason for Sunderland’s derailment this season is their injury list. The club have a massive amount of players currently on the sidelines including top scorer Jack Clarke.
As a result, multiple first-team players have been forced to adapt. This includes O’Nien, a midfielder by trade, who has been played all over the pitch since this crisis.
Mainly, O’Nien has been deployed as a centre-back despite being a midfielder by trade. However, after another poor performance against Blackburn, Dodds may now be forced into pushing O’Nien back into midfield.
You can read more about Dodds’ dilemma on O’Nien here.