Confirmed: Ex-Sunderland coach 'reluctantly' sacked by EFL club
Ex-Sunderland coach Mike Dodds has left Wycombe Wanderers
Former Sunderland coach Mike Dodds has been relieved of his duties by Wycombe Wanderers, the club have confirmed.
The 39-year-old left the Stadium of Light to take the top job at Adams Park partway through last season, and was briefed with securing promotion for the League One outfit. Wanderers would ultimately finish the campaign in a play-off spot, but fell in the semi-finals to Charlton Athletic, who would eventually go on to seal their own passage to the Championship at Wembley.
At the time, Dodds vowed to use the pain of Wycombe’s promotion setback as fuel heading into the current campaign, stating: “It is a harsh lesson in football, and for me, it is a quick lesson to learn for the responsibilities in this role. I told the players [at full time] that there was nothing I could say to change the mood. We will use this pain as fuel for next season, and we will come back a much better version as we want to get out of this league.”
He added: “It is disappointing. They have given everything for this club this season, so once the dust settles, we will look back at what has been an incredible season. There is a lot of emotion at the moment to reflect on anything, but we will look at the things we have done well and not done well. There will also be a period of why we fell short, and we’ll use the summer to do that. It has been a record-breaking year for the football club for points, but our ambitions are much bigger than that.
“We wanted to get promoted, so we can’t celebrate coming fifth and losing the semi-finals of the play-offs. We have to change the culture a little bit. I unfortunately haven’t been able to give the fans success right now, but I am confident I will bring that to this football. These are the ambitions for myself and the ownership group.”
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The new season has not started well for the Chairboys, however. Dodds’ side have taken just five points from their opening eight matches, and currently sit 19th in the table following a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Peterborough United on Saturday afternoon. It is within this context that Wycombe have taken the decision to part company with the former Sunderland staff member.
What has been said about Mike Dodds’ departure from Wycombe Wanderers?
A statement from Wanderers reads: “Wycombe Wanderers have today parted company with Head Coach Mike Dodds and First-Team Coach Pete Shuttleworth.
“The board has reluctantly taken this decision, and the club would like to place on record its gratitude to Mike and Pete for their hard work and efforts during their time with Wycombe Wanderers, and wish them every success for the future.”
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