Interim Sunderland boss Mike Dodds says the scrutiny of Jobe Bellingham is “unfair” as he is consistently compared to his Galactico brother.
In his own right, the 18-year-old has had an extraordinary breakthrough campaign at the Stadium of Light, starting 41 matches for the Black Cats, having only become an adult last September.
It has been a turbulent season at Sunderland so far, with Tony Mowbray, Michael Beale and now Dodds all being in charge at different points. Bellingham, though, has been a key part of all three managers’ midfields, scoring seven goals in the process.
His sensational right-footed curling goal from 25 yards in a 4-2 loss away at Southampton last month may well be up there in goal-of-the-season debates and other mature performances have seen him linked to numerous Premier League clubs throughout the campaign.
However, as his brother Jude, who scored a 91st-minute winner in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, continues to excel for one of the world’s biggest clubs, Jobe is continuously being compared to one of the world’s best.
Dodds, who first saw Bellingham play over a decade ago, is keen to give the youngster his own praise [quotes via the Northern Echo]:
“There’s so much scrutiny around him if he doesn’t play well. I think it’s unfair because he’s just so young and I don’t think people appreciate how good he is for his age.
“I’ve said it a thousand times, if his name was ‘Jobe Smith’ people would be waxing lyrical.
But because of his second name and the comparison, sometimes the over-analysing of him is unfair. But those unfortunately are the cards he’s been dealt and he’s got to get on with it. I’ve had that conversation with him.”
There have been calls from some supporters that perhaps the former Birmingham City man has been deployed too often for such a young player. To those claims, Dodds responded with:
“Everything gets monitored, everything gets recorded, the GPS data, we get all the physical data.
“And if there ever was a red flag, we would have protected him. In my personal opinion, it’s more the mental break for Jobe that he needs and I think the summer will be important for him to just switch off from football. Not just for him but for Riggy [Chris Rigg] as well.
“For young players going away in the summer and just forgetting about football is important, less the physical aspects, more the mental aspects.”
Writer’s View
Jobe Bellingham, is an extremely exciting talent and one that Sunderland are lucky to have. The 18-year-old should be praised for his fitness and undoubted quality in the Championship this season as he has been one of the most regularly deployed players in the division. Despite this, as his interim boss says, he is in the unfortunate position of being related to a man many would think is one of the favourites for the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
Nevertheless, fans and the media must learn to look past that and appreciate the midfielder for his own ability. Only Archie Gray has probably had a bigger impact as a teenager this season, so Bellingham should be compared to players like that, rather than those at the very elite. Just a year ago he was still technically a child, so he probably deserves to be cut some slack.
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