Mike Dodds tells Sunderland what they must do in the transfer market this summer - and gives brief head coach update

Mike Dodds says Sunderland would benefit from more experience in the squad but says he believes more depth in key positions will be the key factor in avoiding a repeat of this season’s disappointment.

Sunderland’s play-off push had ebbed away in the second half of the campaign and they are facing the disappointment of a lower midtable finish ahead of Sheffield Wednesday’s visit to the Stadium of Light on Saturday. The Black Cats have fielded some of the youngest teams in Championship history during Dodds’ current interim spell and while that has been far from ideal, he says it has shown the importance of depth in key positions rather than necessarily being about age.

"I wouldn't say it's necessarily just experience, I know that's a big talking point,” Dodds said.

“There may be a need for one or two players with experience and when I say that I don't necessarily mean 30 plus players, I mean players with 200, 300 plus appearances in the Championship. That is probably something they could look at.

"For me, and I've said this word a few times, it's about depth,” he added.

“We're one of, if not the youngest team in the Championship and we're all on board with that and we're all clear on why that is. But then on top of that, if you lose three or four players to injury or suspension, you're relying on U18s or U21s on the bench and you're getting even younger. So for me it's about more depth, but the flip side of that is if the new head coach doesn't have the same level of injuries, people won't be talking about. If you look at the injury room we've had at times, there's a good team in there. So my overriding thought would be more depth in a number of positions."

Dodds also said he was expecting an update on Sunderland’s head coach after the campaign ends, and is hopeful that a decision can bring some stability and clarity to the club.

“You know as much as I do,” Dodds said.

“I really want to give you something but you know as much as I do. I felt with the group at times it's been one step forward and two back with a solid performance and then we follow that with a couple of what I've described as boring performances. I think that sometimes comes with young young people but I wont accept that as an excuse and the club won't. We want to get back to the Premier League so consistency is important.

But to get back to the question, you know as much as I do, I've bee focusing on the team. I'm presuming I might get an update after Saturday. I'll wait for people above me to kind of update me. My focus is purely on the games.”