Luke O'Nien details 'pivotal' Mike Dodds influence on Sunderland and sends classy message to Wycombe Wanderers
Luke O’Nien as paid tribute to Mike Dodds after Sunderland’s first game since his departure
Luke O’Nien has described departing Sunderland coach Mike Dodds as the best coach the defender has ever worked with.
Dodds, 38, Sunderland in 2021, and was a regular fixture of several head coaches’ backroom staff in the period since. The former Birmingham City boss also took interim charge of the Black Cats, with his most notable stint in the dugout coming during the second half of last season, following Michael Beale’s exit on Wearside.
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Dodds was part of the Sunderland coaching staff for the final time last Monday night as the Black Cats came from behind to secure a superb 3-2 win over Middlesbrough at The Riverside. He has now left to take up his new post as head coach at Wycombe Wanderers and took charge of his first game on Saturday in the FA Cup.
Wycombe lost the game on penalties after Dodds’ side fought to a valiant goalless draw away from home at Deepdale Stadium against Championship club Preston North End. Speaking after Sunderland’s 2-2 draw against Watford in the second-tier on the same day, O’Nien paid tribute to his former coach.
Mike Dodds was ‘first class’ for Sunderland
“However you want to put it, Mike Dodds from the day he joined to the day he left was simply first class,” O’Nein said after Watford. “Any success this club has going forward, he was extremely pivotal in all of that. I think the iceberg effect is quite a nice way to sometimes put it with Mike Dodds. People from the outside, I mean, it's the most respectful way because that's sometimes all you can see if you're on a boat, all you can see is the top of the iceberg.
“But as players, we get to see all of it, and however that top of the iceberg looks in some people's eyes, some people might see him take it as gaffer and see the initial losses, or they might see when he took charge, and we beat West Brom and Leeds. But I think it's important to see the whole of the iceberg and that foundation that Mike Dodds put in for this group and for this club.
“Honestly, it's incredible. It's massive. And that's why I said what I said, because people can see the top of the iceberg and I see the top of the iceberg and I can see below the water. West Brom and Leeds when he turned it around. He had a few defeats in there, but the base of the iceberg, the relationships he built, the understanding, the way he looked after us, the way he put this club in this position that we are now. He came and we're now fighting for top two. We go to look into every single game to win it. A massive part of that goes to Mike Dodds.”
Mike Dodds’ influence at Sunderland went beyond results
“Football goes way more than results and I know you're judged on results,” O’Nien added. “People ask me, do you want to go into management after it? The funny thing is he'll (Dodds) take all the responsibility from the outside for some of those results. They'll look at the losses. Not many people talk about how he went and beat West Brom and Leeds because negativity has the strongest pull and I understand that side of it.
“But football goes beyond, for example, the best way to describe Mike Dodds is Mike Dodds was in charge for a little period, but what he's done for this club extends for many, many years. He's put a base and a foundation where we will go and be successful. A manager doesn't just come and be successful for 10, 15 games. It's what they do. So when he leaves, he's put a base in there for us to continue. So he took charge. We weren't as successful as we'd like to be.
“But if you see where we are now, we're on the rise and he's pivotal in that rise. People might not see that because they only see the tip of the iceberg. But that's why I've come out and said it. He's first class. He's the best coach I've ever worked under and I wish him all the best today as well, especially in this first game.”
How will Sunderland cope without Mike Dodds’ involvement?
“It's actually a really good question, because I talked about that with someone. It was actually my dad. My dad kind of asked me about that,” O’Nien said. “What's it like losing Mike Dodds? Does it leave the same question? And one of the best things Doddsy did is he made a lot of his coaches. Like, tactically, he gave me and a lot of the players a game understanding that I've never developed before. So, for example, you look at Dan Neil. Dan Neil's captaincy is incredible. A lot of people won't see the tactical side of it, but Dan Neil can lead by whispering to us.
“He's like, lads, we need to do this. He'll see a game shift, and he'll be able to change momentum just through this is the shape of the play, and we need to do this. The ball needs to go here and that's a product of spending time with Mike Dodds. Now, as a team, we can coach ourselves, and not completely, but we can coach and change things in game. He was a big part of making us all into coaches, and now we can go into the game and problem-solve a lot better.”
Luke O’Nein will be keeping a close watch on Wycombe Wanderers
The move to Wycombe Wanderers from Sunderland holds even greater interest for O’Nien after he concluded the same swap in reverse seven seasons ago. The 30-year-old made 119 appearances for the Chairboys before moving to the North East in 2018.
“I've kept an eye on Wycombe since the day I left the club,” O’Nien stated after the game against another of his former clubs Watford. “They were brilliant for me, and I wouldn't be here today. They're the first to always check after we finish our games, and even more so now, I'll be following them.”