'Real go...': Mike Dodds sets out his stall to Sunderland supporters as new interim stint begins

Mike Dodds says he is quietly confident that Sunderland's results will improve in the coming weeks and has promised supporters that he will go for all three points in each of the remaining 13 fixtures.

Dodds is taking charge of his second interim spell this season after impressing in his previous stint, beginning against Swansea City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon. While saying he and the players liked many of Michael Beale's ideas, and said some of them he would implementing moving forward, Dodds hinted that he wanted Sunderland to be more attacking than they have been in recent weeks - believing that mirrors what the supporters want to see from their team.

"I think I understand what the fans want in terms of how they want a Sunderland team to be, and I think that is every single game having a real go," Dodds said.

"Some we’ll lose, some we’ll win, and I’ll have to answer questions regardless of how it goes." 

Reflecting on Sunderland's indifferent recent form, Dodds said: "I think it has been inconsistent, you can’t get away from that and you don’t need to be an expert to see that. When a new head coach comes in, they want to implement their own ideas which would be no different if I took a job elsewhere. Myself and all the players liked a lot of those ideas, but for whatever reason we couldn’t find a flow or consistency in terms of results of performance.

"In terms of my own personal reflections, I will be setting the team up how I want to set the team up and ultimately in two, three games time I will be answering the questions as to whether that has gone well or not. You live and die by the sword a bit in terms of the decisions you make. So we’re fully aware, myself and the players, that the performances and results have to be better and we’re quietly confident that they will improve."

Dodds said he understood the view that Sunderland's playing identity had been eroded to an extent over recent weeks, and hopes fans will see a clear style implemented in the coming weeks - even if he will continue to tweak certain aspects from opponent to opponent.

"I can see why that might look to be the case when we review and reflect and watch the games. My personal view is that at some point I will leave this football club, hopefully a good few years from now still, the people of Sunderland want the brand of football to be something that is reflective of the city. That’s not lost on me and that’s something that we will try and reflect on Saturday, and the twelve games after that. I’ve got an image and a vision in my head on how a Sunderland team should look.

"I don't really have a preference in terms of like, striker, no striker, two strikers... as I've got older I've got a lot more comfortable in terms of who I am and what I like and don't like," he added.

"The reality is and I think I showed this in my last stint, I will pick a team that I think will win the game regardless of whether it's one striker, two, etc. I know if I win I'll get plaudits and if I don't I'll get questions, and I'm super comfortable with that because any decision I make will have been thought out over and over again."