ROOKIE boss Mike Dodds says his opening couple of months in the Wycombe Wanderers hotseat has been a ‘whirlwind’, but he’s relishing the chance to make the big decisions.
The 38-year-old former Sunderland assistant took charge in early February, replacing Luton-bound Matt Bloomfield who had put the Chairboys in the thick of the League One promotion race.
It could have been a daunting challenge, but Dodds, who had three interim spells in charge of the Black Cats, has kept the Chairboys ticking along and they remain firmly in the race for automatic promotion behind runaway leaders Birmingham.
“Probably the difference from Sunderland is that here I’m the captain of the ship,” he told The FLP in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s goalless draw against basement side Shrewsbury.
“I feel if anything more relaxed that the decisions are my decisions. As an interim, you are always trying to make the best decisions for the football club but you know it’s not your job.
Peace
“You’re trying to keep things ticking over whereas in this role you can live and die by decisions a little bit more which actually gives you a little more peace.
“I’m still learning, I’m still developing – I’m a young coach.”
A typically hectic third tier schedule has meant Dodds hasn’t had much time to draw breath since taking charge.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” he admitted. “I haven’t had many single game weeks where I’ve had time to work with the group. They are a really enjoyable group to work with, they make the job a lot easier.
“In terms of results, we’ve probably deserved more if I’m being honest, but that’s football – you have to take the rough with the smooth.”
It wasn’t just Dodds who came through the door at Adams Park in the early stages of the year. The ambitious Chairboys made nine signings in the January window to beef up their promotion assault.
“There’s been a lot of new staff come in as well,” explained Dodds. “It means there’s been a huge turnaround in a short space of time.
“My responsibility when we had real positive discussions about me taking the job was to evolve all the positive work that is currently happening here.
“The signings that we made in January are to develop the football club and take it forward. My perspective is on the remaining games, but when the dust settles in the summer we’ll reflect on what is going to be a really exciting period in this club’s history.”
As for the promotion battle, Wrexham and Wycombe have been slugging it out for second place for a while, though Charlton and Stockport are attempting to make a late charge.
“As I keep saying, we’ve got to focus on ourselves,” insisted Dodds, a former Birmingham academy manager who has two decades of coaching experience behind him.
Focus
“My full focus is on getting promoted and I think we have more than enough quality in that dressing room to achieve what we want to achieve.”
One ace the Buckinghamshire side have up their sleeve is striker Richard Kone, 21, who was top of the division’s scoring charts with 18 heading into the weekend. The Ivorian, a big-money target for Luton in January, had a frustrating night against the Shrews in midweek, but will be expected to be back among the goals in the final furlongs.
“Richard is a really, really good player,” said Dodds.
“We hope to keep developing him and improving him. He’s a pleasure to work with, a young guy who wants to keep getting better as well which is a real positive.”
There was tension in the air in midweek as Wycombe searched in vain for the elusive goal to break down Michael Appleton’s determined strugglers.
“That is natural,” added Dodds. “It’s the business end of the season, but one thing I would say is that I would rather be in the position we’re in trying to fight for something that will hopefully be remembered and recognised for years and years to come than at the opposite end of the table.”
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