Sunderland Interim Head Coach Mike Dodds spoke to the media ahead of the Black Cats’ Sky Bet Championship clash with Norwich City.
Here are the key talking points from his press conference...
Dodds on Norwich...
“They have got good players all over the pitch, I have watched a lot of their games, and they have a lot of threats across the pitch.
“We've got to control what we can control; we've got to concentrate on us, and Norwich will know that we've also got some good players.
“They obviously played us earlier in the season and we were excellent against them, I'm really looking forward to the game.”
Dodds on the squad...
“I think the group have been excellent this week in training and regardless of the result, there has been a real vibrancy in terms of the way they have trained, the tempo and the intensity.
“In terms of me looking from my side of the fence, I see a group of players that are hungry to get back on the pitch and correct what happened on Saturday.
“We have to double down on what we are doing in terms of our process, coaching, and intensity and the players have got to follow that.”
On a busy week of fixtures...
“We are going to have to utilise the squad over the next three games, so we are going to need everyone. It's going to be a tough week, but it's a week that from a personal perspective, I'm really looking forward to.
“I'm coming up against three really good coaches, a well-coached team and really good individuals who can execute the stuff that the coaches want them to do.
“We have shown when we've played these three teams previously that if we are right at it and we are fully focused then we can get a positive outcome.
“I'm respectful of who we're coming up against because they are three really good teams so I'm respectful of that side of things but I'm not fearing the opposition in any way.”
On Romaine Mundle...
“I'm a big Romaine fan and in the little snippets that I've seen, I see a raw talent. I see a similar type of player to Jack (Clarke) If he listens and works hard, there is always an element of luck in development as well, but I think we've potentially got a real top, top player.
“I'm a big, Romain fan, he's going to be a big asset for us from now through to the end of the season for the last 12 games.
“I don't want to put too much pressure on him because the reality is if we did have a fully fit Jack, we would like to integrate him maybe a little bit slower and do the right thing by him. You can only deal with the cards you get dealt, unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you're looking at it.
“Romaine's got a big future at this football club, and I think the fans should be excited about that.”