Mike Dodds reacts to Sunderland's laboured draw with QPR

Here's every word from Dodds:

READ MORE: Instant analysis: Sunderland end their losing streak with uninspiring draw with QPR

The biggest thing about the result is relief, I would imagine [to end your losing streak]?

A little bit. People are going to say it’s a point and it stops the chain of events that we’ve had for the last six games, but the performance I was really disappointed with – both first half and second half. I felt we huffed and puffed. There was no real quality in the game and that’s not just at the top half of the pitch, particularly with our build I thought we were slow and we were ponderous.

I’ve got to keep working with them. They’re a group that need help and a large part of that responsibility is myself. Naturally, you’ll get some help when we get some bodies back, but I thought that was a real naïve performance where in previous games I’ve sat here and in three of them I’ve tried to look at pockets of the game that I really liked, but there wasn’t a huge amount I liked about that game.

We’re going to have some bodies back for Easter weekend which everyone can see is going to be a huge boost to the group. I think they’re giving everything. I can’t question their effort and endeavour but at the moment we’re short and I can’t flower that up.

Anthony Patterson perhaps earned you the point today?

I’m a coach that doesn’t take any satisfaction whatsoever that a goalie has kept us in the game because that would say to me that there’s a chain of events leading up to that point that we can either stop or make better decisions with. On the flipside, I’ve got to praise Patto because it’s an unbelievable save – he didn’t have a huge amount to do in the game but that’s the sign of a top goalie that when you’re called upon you can make a big save.

I know this year he’s had some criticism and I think that save in itself and in the moment we’re at, justifies the comments and our belief as a football club that he’s one of the best goalies in the league.

Is the two-week break a circuit breaker where you can step back and take stock?

I’m really conscious around spinning positives. Yeah, we had a clean sheet but we also didn’t score. They’re the responsibilities I take on and I’m my biggest critic about the way the team gets set-up and how many chances we give away.

From our perspective, internally, it’s a really important two weeks to keep drilling home what we want because out of the five games I’ve taken that’s been my biggest disappointment and we got a point from it. In terms of the fans I think it’s important they spend time with family and loved ones and realise when we come back the squad will have a little bit more depth to it and a little bit more quality to it.

I think there’s 10 senior players not available for selection. When you take 10 senior players, through injuries or suspension, out of any Championship team, I think it’s going to be difficult and you saw that today. I knew it was going to be quite a clunky afternoon just based upon the fact we’ve got so many bodies not available to us at the moment. Hopefully, moving forward we can get bodies back and it will feel a lot easier for everyone.

Is it a confidence thing as well?

They’ve lost six on the bounce so I wouldn’t say their tank is full on confidence. But at the same time, and I don’t like using this, but we’ve got some young players in there and they’re a young group and that’s football. It’s going to be upwards all the time. You’ve got to come through spells. Players aren’t going to play their full careers full of confidence. They have to find ways of coming through these periods. I felt they started the game anxious. They looked a little bit tetchy, which is understandable and the crowd’s reaction is understandable because we’ve lost six on the bounce. But that’s football.

I’ve been fortunate where I’ve been part of the first team set-up for a couple of years now and they’ve been nice, in particular last season was a wonderful experience for everyone. You’ve got to take the ying with the yang if that’s the right phrase to use. It’s not always going to be an upward trajectory. You’re going to have periods where you’ve just got to dig in and get on with what you’ve got and I’m experiencing that now, the players are experiencing it and we’re all going to be better for it. I know that narrative isn’t going to help the fans because they want to win games of football, but we will come out of this period stronger for it.

Part of the frustration is that it’s really hard to watch?

Yeah, but again, if you take 10 players out of any team in the Championship through injuries or suspensions it’s going to be difficult. That performance today showed that. I’ve got to take a level of responsibility as the head coach but I knew it was going to be a difficult afternoon because they’re fighting for their lives and the bodies that I had available to select were the bodies I had available to select. When you take 10 players out of any Championship team it’s going to start to look a little bit clunky and it’s not going to look like what we’re used to.

We’ve got two weeks now where we’re going to get some bodies back, which will be a huge boost for myself and to the group. I think they’re trying and they’re giving everything but at the moment we’re a little bit short.

There were no shots on target, is that recruitment thing again in terms of missing a striker?

I wouldn’t say it’s a recruitment issue. The issue we have at the moment is we have a number of key, key players in the top area of the pitch who are not available. When you take a Patrick Roberts out of a Championship team, he’s got Premier League quality, and when you’re taking Jack Clarke out, you’re taking two of the best wingers in the league and you’re replacing them with players we feel will have a long-term future with the club, that have high potential, but just don’t have the experience that maybe those two players have and the quality, yet, that those two players have.

But it is what it is. I know that’s not helping anyone and it’s not going to be a phrase anyone wants to hear but when we have the bodies out that we have out I think you get what I would call a naïve and clunk performance that you saw this afternoon.

What do the next two weeks look like?

We’ve got some of the group playing on Monday in the under-21s game, they’ll be in for three or four days and they’ll have a couple of days off and then we’ve got a three or four day lead into the Cardiff game. Like every game in this league there’s no easy games. I’ve seen a lot of Cardiff this year and I think they’re really well coached and really well drilled out of possession, their home form is strong, and then we’ve got a quick turnaround into the Blackburn game.

We’ll review on Monday, I think it’s important we stick to our processes, and I think we need to have  areal honest conversation around that performance because I was particularly unhappy with it which I haven’t labelled at the group in the previous four performances. I was disappointed with that performance today, so we’ll review on Monday and then we’ll focus on the next two games.