It's a tough old time to be a Sunderland supporter. Having shown so much promise at the start of the season, the red and white faithful are now watching on as the season peters out.
It's a strange tonic to drink at this stage of the campaign with eight games remaining and a rare one at that. The Black Cats have had something to play for at this stage of the season, whether that be promotion or relegation, for as long as the mind can remember.
As things stand, they don't have the quality to finish in that top six given there's too much ground to make up, and you'd like to think, they'll be able to pick up one or two wins which should see them over the line safely at the other end.
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But on yesterday's showing against QPR, that might be tougher than first thought. It was one of the poorest performances of the season, failing to register a single shot on target against one of the Championship strugglers, albeit they've turned a corner since the arrival of Marti Cifuentes as head coach.
Come the final game of the season, Sunderland may be counting their blessings from the 27 points they acquired under Tony Mowbray after 19 games. In the 19 games that have followed, they've taken 21 points.
But the issues that Mike Dodds is now staring in the face, and Michael Beale before him, are the exact same ones that Mowbray highlighted during the final few months of his tenure. The lack of goals in the final third - in Jack Clarke's absence - has been a major cause for concern.
With expected goals conceded now trending way above expected goals scored, over an average of the last five games, it makes for alarming reading. Sunderland are heading in one direction.
Sure, injuries have played their part, in both the attacking and defensive departments and Dodds is hoping the international break will see some senior heads restored to Sunderland's line-up.
However, if we focus on the QPR game, it only highlights the sorry statistics behind Sunderland's campaign.
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Out of the four striker brought in this summer, they have just three league goals between them; two for Nazariy Rusyn and one for Mason Burstow. It's fair to say had Rusyn not picked up an injury against Southampton, he would have lead the line against QPR.
Instead that opportunity fell to Luis Hemir Semedo, who has started three games under Dodds, having started just one game all season, prior to his return to the dugout. But in that time, the 20-year-old Portuguese forward has managed just one shot, an effort he dragged wide of the mark against Leicester City.
In those four appearances under Dodds, Hemir has an xG of just 0.04 - shown in the image above. At 20-years-old, in his first season in senior football, adapting to a new country and a more intense way of playing, it's a tough ask for the youngster to lead the line in the second tier.
In the same timeframe, Mason Burstow has manged three shots, with an expected goals of 0.07, all of those coming in the 4-2 defeat to Southampton.
There's been plenty of discourse surrounding supply into Sunderland's strikers and that remains a key talking point. But if we look closer at the efforts on goal against QPR, it's clear it's not just the strikers who are struggling.
Adil Aouchiche clipped the top of the crossbar in the first-half with a cross, which didn't register an xG return. Dan Neil's strike from the halfway line equating for just 0.01 of Sunderland's overall xG, while Dan Ballard's header in the 89th minute their best opportunity to open the scoring at 0.16 xG.
What makes for an alarming read, is taking Sunderland's efforts from set pieces out of the equation, only highlighting the lack of threat from open play.
Again, the position of Sunderland's shots aren't from threatening areas of the pitch and they're blocked efforts, with QPR having men behind the ball.
It's been some time since we saw a red and white player running through on goal one vs one and rounding the keeper for example. A lot of their efforts have been shots on goal which register under 0.10 in expected goals.
Again, this isn't just a Mike Dodds issue, but it's one he has to find an answer to.
Their expected goals has been just 3.31, suggesting they've been unlucky to a slight degree.
Luke O'Nien's goal against Swansea City equating for 0.32 of that xG, Anthony Patterson's header in the same game registering at 0.22, Rusyn's point-blank range header against Norwich 0.18 and Ballard's recent header against QPR their best efforts on goal.
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"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," Dodds said after the full-time whistle.
"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."
There can be no beating around the bush, their lack of fire power is coming back to bite them.
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