In the last weeks of the season, there may not be much at stake in terms of league rankings, but Mike Dodds has cautioned his Sunderland players not to even consider turning off and daydreaming about their summer vacation.
The Black Cats have only won once in their last ten games, and their chances of finishing in the top six for a second straight season have vanished as they prepare to play Leeds United today.
However, Dodds asserts that the final five games of the season are still vital, and he has cautioned that it would be “incredibly naive and stupid” to believe Sunderland can afford to cruise through the final month of the season with the belief that the remaining games are unimportant.
“If any of the players feel they want to start thinking about holidays or pulling out their flip flops, they won’t play for me and they won’t play for the football club because this is an incredible football club and they should be privileged to wear the Sunderland shirt,” Dodds stated. “They’ve been told this clearly.
It is our goal to make it to the Premier League. My dream football team is one that aspires to play in the top league in the world. We are tremendously foolish and maybe stupid if we think as staff, backroom staff, people above me, and players that wear on the shirt that we’re good enough to miss five games and then mount a campaign the following year.
“The next five games have a ton of motivation. We can lay a foundation for the next 46 games with the next five games.
“We want to play in the Premier League in the long run,” said the team internally. We won’t reach our goals if we accept that these remaining five games are all there is to them.
With Leeds involved in a three-team fight for the two automatic promotion spots at the top of the Championship, there’s no denying what’s at stake for the hosts tonight.
The Whites’ lengthy winning streak came to an end at Coventry on Saturday, as Daniel Farke’s team dropped out of the top two.
Dodds is positive that Leeds will win this season, but he is also optimistic that Sunderland can surprise everyone when they take the field at Elland Road tonight at 8 p.m.
“I think I’m quite a humble guy but these are the type of games where I fancy ourselves and will back ourselves,” he stated.
“After seeing a few of their games, I believe they are a Premier League team in waiting. I think they have a lot of quality, no matter who they choose, and I really like their team.
“In actuality, they are still Premier League caliber after three or four changes. Although I believe they are a Premier League squad in the making, I love watching these kinds of games.
“It’s not a free hit, it’s an opportunity to show where we’re at and how much more we need to do to get to where we want to be.”
Leeds has won 16 of its 20 home games this season, making them undefeated, but the onus will be heavily on the hosts this evening.
“If we score first, that could be a factor,” Dodds stated. Football psychology has a major role if they score first and then lose momentum.
“We need to focus on our strategy and on ourselves. We give ourselves an opportunity if we act in that way. It’s going to be a long evening if we don’t.
“This will be a challenging game. This league doesn’t have any easy games. We will need to travel there and give it our all.It is something that both I and we are eager to see.
“I love playing games like these. Few people can say they went out in front of thirty thousand people at Elland Road. Regardless of their record there, my attitude is to go try to win the game.
