Sunderland’s Championship standings have plummeted to 15th place after a 1-0 loss to Watford on the weekend.
The Black Cats are doomed to finish in the bottom half of the Championship this year after losing their previous two games by 1-0 scores.
Mike Dodds, the interim manager, has now managed 12 games, exactly the same number as his predecessor Michael Beale. However, Dodds has only managed two victories to Beale’s four.
Where has Mike Dodds’ experience at Sunderland gone wrong?
After Beale’s rocky stint at the Stadium of Light, Dodds was a welcome hire.
Looking back, though, it seemed like an interim government that was doomed to fail from the off.
He took over an underperforming team that was beset by injuries and experiencing a run of defeats.
Not to mention the January transfer window, where the Black Cats were once again denied a new striker despite the additions receiving mixed reviews.
To compound Sunderland’s and Dodds’ further dismay, he hasn’t been helped by a general lack of talent among certain players who were outstanding the previous season.
That applies to Patrick Roberts maybe more than to anyone else.
Patrick Roberts’ “shocking” season with Sunderland is regretted by Marco Gabbiadini.
Roberts is still a popular player with Sunderland supporters, despite the difficult times he is going through at the moment.
This season, he has only recorded two assists in 31 Championship games; in 44 league games the previous season, he scored five goals and provided seven assists.
That, in a way, sums up Roberts’ season; he also came off the bench against Watford and wasted a great chance to score.
Speaking about Roberts on Total Sport, Gabbiadini said:
“He was hilarious to watch last year; in the last third, he and Amad were like a party trick, you couldn’t get the ball off them. However, his season has been disappointing because of his startling results. Perhaps he is simply unhappy this year, or perhaps he misses having a player who is on the same wavelength as him.
Patrick Roberts’ downfall this season
It appears impossible to pin Roberts’ demise on a single factor.
It seems like a lot of factors are involved; Gabbiadini says that having someone like Amad to balance out his style may have contributed, but injuries might be the primary one.
Given that Roberts had more competition and superior players to partner with Amad on the squad the previous season, it’s possible that the team’s general lack of offensive quality played a role in his subpar performances.
However, Sunderland’s summer hiring spree might have contributed as well.
Roberts would not have known what his role would be this season had he not been observing players like Nazariy Rusyn, Jobe Bellingham, Bradley Dack, and possibly even Adil Aouchiche arrive last summer.
His best position may now be in question following a difficult season, but at 27 years old, it shouldn’t even be a question. His role has remained unclear.
For Roberts, it’s undoubtedly been a difficult campaign, and he’ll be looking for better the following season.
However, considering how Roberts has played this season, Sunderland may be eager to cash in and let him go in the summer, so it might already be too late.