Sunderland will be looking to get back to winning ways when they face Leicester City in the Sky Bet Championship tomorrow evening.
Mike Dodds spoke to the media ahead of the fixture...
Mike Dodds on Dan Ballard...
“I think it’s clearly obvious how important he is to us. Dan during international breaks goes away with his country, he's robust, he plays a lot of games and he trains every day, so we gave him a few days off to refresh himself.
“Over the last seven to 10 days, he's been bouncy and bubbly and it's almost like signing a new player so we’re really looking forward to having him back in the squad.
“What it has done is show us how important he is to the team, I said previously when I was in charge last time, I felt he was one of the best defenders in the league and I think all that's done is cement that kind of statement.”
On Leicester City...
“They are top of the league and they're probably the best team in the league or one of the best teams.
“They are really clear in terms of the way they want to play and 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.
“The coach is very thorough and very forthright in the way he wants to play, and they are top of the league for a reason.”
Dodds on the final quarter of the season...
“I remember last year being in a similar type of position, we had 10 games to go, and we were kind of in a similar spot.
“I think the difference in mentality is really interesting because 12 months ago, I think everyone was just kind of happy that we were mid-table in the Championship and pushing for the play-offs.
“Whereas 12 months on, that's now the conversation again, but I think that's a positive, it shows how far we've come.
“I think we've got to embrace that conversation; I'm not going to call it pressure because this is a big football club and that should be an expectation from us.
“We must meet those challenges head-on as this league is crazy and all it takes is for someone to win two games or lose two games, and then the whole complexity of the league completely changes.
“We are still really positive, and we need that one little bit of luck, we need that one game to go for us. I do firmly believe from there it will start to accelerate in terms of what we are trying to do.”