There was further disappointment at the Stadium of Light on Saturday as Mike Dodds kicked off his latest spell in interim charge of Sunderland with a 2-1 defeat against Swansea City.
Any thoughts of quickly and successfully moving on from Michael Beale's short-lived managerial reign were quickly cast aside as the Swans strolled into a two-goal lead by the time the half-hour mark had been reached as Brazilian winger Ronaldo scored twice.
Luke O'Nien reduced the arrears for Sunderland with just under quarter of an hour remaining but the Black Cats were unable to find an equaliser and fell to their third consecutive league defeat. The loss leaves Dodds and his side sat eight points adrift of the play-off spots - but how has it impacted on Sunderland's hopes of securing a second promotion in three years and one that would end their seven-year absence from the Premier League?
