“About time” – Sunderland fan pundit makes Jobe Bellingham claim amid Mike Dodds dilemma

FLW’s Sunderland fan pundit has issued his stance on Jobe Bellingham’s current predicament

Right now, Sunderland is making their way through a difficult situation.

Despite having such a young team, the Stadium of Light’s unexpected march into the playoffs last season increased hopes despite their final failure.

For other reasons, another man who would shortly sign a £3 million deal to play for Sunderland has had to cope with the pressure of his own expectations.

This takes the form of Jobe Bellingham, who has garnered a lot of attention due to his brother Jude’s accomplishments and his status as a regular in the midfield for both Real Madrid and England.

However, the man who brought him to the North East, before subsequently taking charge of his former employers Birmingham City – Tony Mowbray – revealed that Jobe is on his own path, which led to the 18-year-old dropping ‘Bellingham’ from the back of his jersey.

“He doesn’t want to live off the back of his brother’s name; he wants to be the footballer that he is and show people what he can do,” he told the newspaper.

Mike Dodds hits back amid Bellingham selection calls

Mike Dodds is one man who has extensive knowledge of Bellingham; he was employed in Birmingham’s Wast Hills education system before assuming a comparable position on Wearside.

With Michael Beale’s departure last month, Dodds is currently Sunderland’s interim head coach for the second time this season.

During his initial three-game stint as an acting manager, Bellingham played a significant role in a team that finished with six points out of nine, which included his game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Leeds United on December 12.

Fearing a possible burnout, the 37-year-old has responded to those who think the prodigy needs a break ahead of Tuesday night’s match against league leaders Leicester City.

He told the Northern Echo, “It’s something we’ve got to be mindful of because he’s 18.”

“The truth is that he plays a great deal of distance for us, and I really don’t want to be that person who talks about numbers all the time. He became stronger as the game progressed, especially in the second half against Swansea when he ran at a high tempo and covered some of the best distance of the season.