Mike Dodds' every word ahead of Sunderland vs Leicester City

You started Hemir, is the conundrum you've got giving one striker a run between now and the end of the season?

Yeah it's a really good question. It's something we've discussed internally with the coaching staff. We changed things slightly in terms of our in possession stuff in the game, I just felt that we needed a focal point in the game to play off and on to. Hence the reason we went with Hemir. I thought that in the main he did okay. I think he could've had a little bit more service. I felt we started the first 15 minutes of the game where our quality with the ball could've been better.

READ MORE: Sunderland's defeat to Norwich City a 'worrying' sign

Once we settled in to the game. We had pockets of play where we looked comfortable in possession without really damaging them. I just felt in terms of the way we set-up that we needed a focal point. To be fair to Hemir, he's working really hard. If I see the players on the training pitch all in. They're all in for the football club then they'll get an opportunity. Hemir has done that so long may that continue.

You're not helped because you've not got Jack Clarke or Dan Ballard missing, you're putting sticking plasters on the team in a sense. Callum Styles another player coming in, what do you see his best position?

I'm glad you spotted the plasters bit. We're still  getting to know Callum I'll be honest with you. He's a lovely technician. He's go lovely technique. I think when he was at Barnsley he played in so many positions. H played at left-back, left-wing back, as an eight. He went on loan to Millwall last season and played predominantly down the left-hand side. We utilised him off the right, but it was more kind of a narrow right position both in and out of possession because of some of the threats that Norwich had on the ball.

We also felt that when we had the ball he could pick up some dangerous positions. I think the pleasing thing from the game, we did actually get him the ball at times, not frequently enough, but what we worked on, I did see pockets of those types of things. To answer your question, fortunately or unfortunately Callum is really quite versatile. As a coach, people like that are worth their weight in gold because you can slot him in to different positions on the pitch. He seems like a great kid, he asks lots of questions and has fit into the group really well. To answer the question, I don't know what his best position is. If I'm being brutally honest. I know where he's played previously and the answer to your question is he's played so many positions, we've got to try and find the best position to utilise him.

Is the importance of Dan Ballard overlooked, it must be a huge relief to have him available again?

Yeah, in particular the first game I took, it was glaringly obvious how important he was to us. [Swansea] I think it's important as well - obviously during the international break Dan goes away with his country. He's robust and plays a lot of games for us. He trains every day so we gave him a few days, to mentally refresh himself.

I have to admit, the last seven to ten days he's been bouncy and bubbly. It's almost like signing a new player really. Really looking forward to him being back in the squad, the team. I think, to reiterate your point is to show how important he is. Last time I took the team, I felt he was one of the best players in the league and not having him in the team has only cemented that statement.

Dan Ballard ranks as one of the best defenders in the Championship. (Image: StatsBomb)

Now you've got Leicester, is this a good time to play them because they've lost three league games?

We watch loads of opposition games and they're really clear in terms of how they want to play. I don't see them changing for us and I don't see them changing for anyone in the league if we're being completely honest. The coach is very thorough and very forthright in the way he wants to play. They're top of the league for a reason. Is there every a good time to play a Leicester team with the quality they've got in depth? Even coming off the bench. I don't know. I expect they're going to make some changes having watched their last three or four games. Where that will be, we'll find out tomorrow evening. My prediction is they'll probably make some changes to freshen one or two things up.

It's clearly not going to be an easy game and you've lost four games on the bounce. Is there a point where that starts to play a part on the mentality or psychology of the game?

Not really from my perspective. Once you start to go down that route, you start to create within the players for the game plan and how they execute the game plan. So, from my perspective not really no. One thing I will say is we're fully aware we haven't won for four games. I'm completely clear on that but in terms of the training ground feeling, the intensity and focus, you wouldn't feel that on the players.

I want to make that really clear, that's a massive positive. That's not them being flippant or underestimating the situation. It's definitely not that. We've had a really good training session and I said to the staff 'You wouldn't know they've lost four on the bounce.' They're vibrant, they're at it, they're asking all the right questions. I understand what it looks like in terms of the hard facts, the black and white of win or loss. When you're in here every single day, if I'm being honest, I don't feel that level of pressure or that burden. My mentality, like I said when the club asked me to take the role, I want to try and win every single game. Sometimes that will work, sometimes that won't work. That's the arena that I'm sitting in.

Will you make changes yourself?

Yeah. This game and the next game, we've got to utilise the squad. It's a fine balance between freshening certain areas up and trying to have a level of consistency. We want to try and get into a flow and a rhythm of the way we want to work. It's just trying to find the balance between freshening things up to make sure we're right at it in terms of how we want to set up, but also not make it clunky and disjointing what we're trying to do. The next two games course there'll be change. As I said earlier in the week, we'll utilise the full squad. We'll see how tomorrow night goes and then on to Saturday, again one or two tweaks.

Dan Ballard is set to return for Sunderland after serving his suspension. (Image: Ian Horrocks)

Are you mindful of the yellow card amnesty, there's a couple of players on nine yellow cards?

Yeah, again, it goes back to my point. It's a really fine balance between - we've got to win games of football. In the nicest way possible I'm not going to protect those players that are on nine yellow cards for the sake of a result. Ultimately we've got to turn the tide in results. The result for me is first and foremost the first thing that comes to mind. We've got a couple of boys close to that ten yellow cards but there's nothing we can do with that.

What do you think it was that gave Norwich the edge?

Being brutally honest, they've got one of the best number nines in the league. You can't get away from that. I think he's got 15 goals or something like that. So, I think that's a factor. I think sometimes and I don't like using this, the reality is the ball falls for you and sometimes it doesn't. At the moment it feels like we're not getting the rub of the green a little bit. The type of coach I am, I don't like to rely on that and you make your own fortunes. We've spoken about that internally with the players. We've got to just keep turning up and doubling down every day. If we stick to our processes, stick to how hard we're working, one result will change our fortunes. Hopefully we'll snowball from there.

Your message to the players will be, it just takes a run of results and it's a very different picture all together?

Yeah. I think I said after the game on Saturday, I don't know what the comparison was to 35 games last year, to 35 games this year, but I don't imagine it's a huge difference. I don't know the facts on that but I remember last year being in a similar type of position with ten games to go, we were in a similar spot. Are we going to do it? Aren't we going to do it? I think the difference in mentality is really interesting. Last year, everyone was kind of happy that we were mid-table in the Championship and there wasn't really a 'we're going to get in the play-offs.' 12 months on that's the conversation and that's a positive because it shows how far we've come.

Recommended reading:

• Sunderland staring harsh reality in the face in current form

• Mike Dodds' Luis Hemir verdict on Sunderland return

• Are Sunderland's play-off hopes over heading into Leicester?

I think we've got to embrace that conversation. I'm not going to call it pressure because it's a big football club and that should be an expectation on us, but that's not going to get easier. In 12 months time that expectation isn't going to go to 'ah year three in the Championship.' It's not going to get any easier. We have to meet those challenges head on. This league is a crazy league. All it takes is someone to win two games or lose two games and the whole complexity of the league completely changes. We're still really positive. We just need that one bit of luck, that one game to go for us and I do firmly believe from there it'll accelerate what we're trying to do.