Mike Dodds is still no nearer to picking up his first points back as Sunderland interim boss, his dejected Black Cats side falling to another Championship defeat under his disappointing short-term tenure to date away at Southampton.
Sunderland did show signs of their quality in the clash at St. Mary’s, going toe-to-toe with Russell Martin’s promotion-chasing Saints at points, but the final scoreline would swing in favour of the South Coast hosts 4-2 regardless of Sunderland flickering into life occasionally.
Abdoullah Ba’s performance vs Southampton in numbers
Dodds ultimately made the wrong decision bringing Ba back into the XI for this clash away at Southampton, with the Sunderland number 17 struggling throughout.
It shows that the interim boss is still unsure over what his best lineup truly is, the 37-year-old head coach scrambling around to try and put together a side that can pull off a win after experiencing four defeats on the trot since taking over the reins from the disastrous Michael Beale.
