The BBC pundit and former player says the exit of Mike Dodds has impacted Régis Le Bris in recent weeks

Régis Le Bris is going into Sunderland games “blind” after the exit of Mike Dodds.

That’s the view of Sunderland legend and BBC pundit Gary Bennett, who has stated that there has been an undeniable drop-off in the Black Cats’ recent performances since the exit of Dodds to Wycombe Wanderers earlier this season.

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Dodds’ last game at Le Bris’ side came against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, with Sunderland winning 2-3 on the night before Dodds’ departure to manage in League One. Since then, the Black Cats have lost to Leeds United, Hull City and Coventry City but have also beaten Sheffield Wednesday, Cardiff City and Luton Town alongside draws against Preston and Watford.

“You've made a very, very good point there,” Bennett said when asked about Dodds after Saturday’s loss to Coventry City in the Championship. “You know, and again, you talk about the coach. He's had a fantastic season and when things get tough, the tough get going. And sometimes Regis Le Bris is maybe looking around, and he's looking around for that little bit of experience.

“Somebody who knows, who's been there, knows about the division and may be able to give him a helping hand. At the present moment, he's trying to do it on his own. I think he is. You know, sometimes it needs that support where we can turn to somebody and say, look, we've got a problem here. How do we handle it?”

Bennett continued on Dodds: “Because, sometimes he's going into games blind. OK, you can watch as many videos as you like. It's not the same. It's not the same as having that experience, knowing about individuals, knowing about clubs, players.

“He doesn't want to be popular. He just wants to be a good coach. And sometimes, Regis Le Bris might be looking around, and he might be looking for that support. Somebody who understands and thinking, right, we're in a situation here. What do we do?

“Regis Le Bris, when he came in, he needed that guidance. He needed that help. And I think Mike Dodds gave him that. Now, I don't know if Regis Le Bris thought, OK, I can do this on my own, or a situation has come up where Mike Dodds needed to move on. But, you're talking about understanding the league, understanding players, understanding the opponents, who you're playing against.

“And when you do get into a situation, how do you get out of it or try to get out of it? And you're just thinking, you're looking at today's game, OK, we were at the best of starts. But then, when you're 1-0 or 2-0 down, then can we tinker things? Can we tweak things around to try to get back into the game? Don't concede any more goals. As the game went on today, you just think every time Coventry went forward, they did win at a canter today.”