STEVE BRUCE IS PLANE CRAZY!
Sunderland boss is thrilled to be in the big-time at last
Hearts 1, Sunderland 1| Darren Bent off the mark for Black Cats
Delight as Darren Bent gets off the mark for Black Cats
STEVE BRUCE was checking his schedule with his long-term number two Eric Black.
"We'd need a private plane to get to that game," he joked. "No problem," came the reply from a Sunderland official.
He turned to Black. "We're in a different place here mate. We've never been at this level before."
Finally, at club number seven in a managerial career spanning 11 years, Bruce has hit the big time. He has resources, through the deep pockets of Ellis Short. He has a chairman he can trust in Niall Quinn.
His most precious commodity however, will be time, because he has inherited a poor team. Do not underestimate just how bad Sunderland were on the run that almost got them relegated.
Rivalries
The Black Cats have won one of their last 13 Premier League games, against Hull at that. And Bruce remains a Geordie. Do not overlook that either.
Sat in Southern France at the beginning of July, Bruce, born in Cramlington, and schooled at Wallsend Boys Club, thought he had escaped regional rivalries.
Four Tynesiders, two red and white, two black and white, took free beer and a pizza to be won over.
He has played the situation well so far. But it will be a glare that will follow him. He is, after all, the first Newcastle-supporting manager of Sunderland since Lawrie McMenemy.
He looks like the cat who got the cream, a bulldog with a bone. But he has to turn around a team without confidence, energy and goals.
He has to reinvigorate key men, men who had stopped playing for Roy Keane and switched off under Ricky S'bragia.
Kieran Richardson and Anton Ferdinand were internationals in waiting at the start of last season. By the close, they looked shell-shocked, shattered, searching for the emergency exit. He must fill them with belief.
And he must make Kenwyne Jones realise the signing of a £2.5 million-a-year contract last season was the start of his career. Not the end. Niggling injuries or not, Jones was a shadow when Sunderland needed him most.
And then there is geography. At least Bruce will not be embittered when players' wives refuse point blank to move to Sunderland, rich Americans or not.
Roy Keane failed entirely to understand the geography of the region. His own family did not move. He could not get his head around footballers' desires to be nearer to good shops.
Bruce will benefit from being a native, no matter how testing his fight to land Peter Crouch was. It was the first time he had been in the market for a player at £12 million.
As a man who played 417 games before getting to Old Trafford proves, he has patience that is perhaps not recognised in a managerial career that has seen his ambition, certainly in the past, running away from him before he was stable.
But his recruitment will have to ensure there are a few more such damaging knockbacks.
Lee Cattermole, a success in the European Under-21 Championships, will add the kind of energy and aggression in the heart of midfield that Dean Whitehead and Andy Reid could never muster. Lorik Cana, the Marseille captain, will match his bite.
Fraizer Campbell has pace but much to prove. However the desire for a recognised leader, a situation that was never explored by Keane of all people, is wise.
Richard Dunne could be a rock. If not, a team that crumbled in the heat of battle last season, needs a figurehead. A Steve Bruce or a Roy Keane.
He also needs a bit of flair. Because Sunderland were awful to watch. Bruce knows he has to hit the ground running at his new club. He has to forge a team, and quickly, few clubs feed off momentum like Sunderland. He needs to find it.
It has taken Bruce more than a decade to find Sunderland, a club with genuine ambition. His managerial record is good. But not great.
He has failures - Huddersfield - to go with the success of Birmingham and Wigan. He has improved with time, he has developed contacts in South America and cut his cloth according to his resources.
His teams have always had spirit, have always been well organised and hard to beat. That will provide a platform, because do not underestimate the size of ambition burning within the Stadium of Light.
Forget
Sunderland have never sat in such a position in their modern history. Surviving relegation on the final day of the season was huge, potentially the launch pad to an undiscovered world.
Another campaign amongst the dead men would put Bruce in trouble. That is the level of ambition he finds for the first time in his career.
Forget the top four. Gone. Forget the nouveau riche, Manchester City and Aston Villa and even the foot-to-the-floor sponge wringers from Everton.
But beneath that lies a lot of overhyped Premier League dross.
Expect an even bigger fight to get back out of the top-flight. And in between lies the vacuum, the place where Sunderland's new manager believes he can drive a forward-thinking club to.
Bruce knows only too well that only somewhere around the top 10 will do this time for the billionaire Short.
"The club is in great order," he said. "From top to bottom. I have to get a team to go together with that. It is that simple. There has always been something in me that wanted the big club and the big support. I've never wanted to take the easy option."
Welcome to the big time Steve.
BIG HOPE: Would the real Kieran Richardson please step forward? If Steve Bruce can get the quick, left-footed midfielder working, he will save himself a fortune. Richardson can play, Bruce's job is to make him.
This article has 7 comments
When Roy came in we weren't on our way to becoming the next Leeds ('cos Leeds were in the same division then) or heading for the third division. We always start off badly, are discounted by the pundits & quietly reel them all in. We would have won that league with or without Roy (even under Quinny). Under Roy we started to look as if we knew what we were doing (e.g. passing to someone in the same colour shirt).
I don't care where the manager's from or who he supports - as long as they know a bit & give it a go. I'm saddened, but not surprised, by the way people have turned on Keane.
By Barry Helafonty. Posted August 3 2009 at 9:41 AM.
The way to the top for Sunderland is a path that Peter Reid nearly found but his personal problems undercut things at the vital time. Steve Bruce also knows the majic formula which includes having two (not one) tough guys in midfield to win the ball and protect the back line. We have one in Cana but I'm not sure who can fill the other spot. But there are still a few weeks during which to bring in players and surely Steve Bruce knows what he needs. Getting rid of Whitehead was crucial as he was obviously a headless chicken and dragging others down.
I totally agree with the suggestion that Sunderland is a club that feeds off the bounce effect. If they get off to a good start, such as two wins and a draw from the first three games, the Roker Roar will only build and inspire great achievements. In full voice it has even made visitors like Jacky Charlton flinch.
I'm not convinced that the top few teams are going to be as bullet proof as usual during the coming season, or that Villa and Everton will continue to improve. With a good start Sunderland could well finish in the top 6 and above Man City. The top 8 is a very realistic goal.
There are perhaps 8 sides that will form there own league at the bottom and not take points off teams above. Hull, Burnley and Birmingham will probably be the unlucky ones.
Steve Bruce's first trophy as Sunderland manager will undoubtedly be a cup and should arrive within two seasons if not one.
By M. Sebastian T.. Posted August 2 2009 at 6:42 PM.
The chant goes around the stadium 'we are Sunderland' and that is what modern day footballers cannot understand the club is bigger than any player although some have come close to being equal for example Quinn, Gabbiadini, Philips, Motgomery, Hurley, Bennett and Ball. This kind of player came to Sunderland and stayed, to them we were not a stop gap for better things, go to an evening function at the SOL and see star players who played for Sunderland and then stayed in the area after their careers were long over. This is what we need not 'fancy dans' from London and the south with their wags for gods sake Crouchs misses is from Liverpool a scouser and would not even look at him if he did not play football but she wanted to live in London. Bring back the days when we shouted down a coal mine on a saturday dinner time asking who wanted a game of football.
By mike stephenson. Posted August 2 2009 at 12:59 PM.
Have started really well pre-season and hopefully we can take that confidence into our first game at Bolton.
Massive signing in Cana, Is a born leader.
Big Tackles, Killer through ball.
Not many people know about him but you will by 5pm Next Saturday.
Just need to find goals?
Hopefully sign Darren Bent, he has pace and power, wasnt really a regular for spurs last season but still managed to hit 15 and was spurs top goal scorer last season.
Keiron has banged a few in during pre season hopefully he can find some confidence and play like the player he was at West Brom when he saved them from the drop.
We cant rely on Kenweyne Jones,
One player Isnt a Team.
We lack a Winger on the right hand side..We need somebody like Aaron Lennon? Somebody who isn't scared of running past players putting balls in the box.
And hopefully with the energy of Richardson and the Killer balls from Cana, The forwards will have a lot of chances which they really must convert this year.
We all saw how close it went last year by not taking our chances, If Newcastle and West Brom wasnt below us I think everybody would agree we would have gone down.
We were playing some shocking football we're just lucky Newcastle and West Brom wern't playing much better.
Hopefully under Bruce he can install that confidence in the players and make them believe in themselves so at least we can comfortable finish mid table then next season, We go again.
By Sean Brown. Posted August 2 2009 at 8:44 AM.
People should remember what Roy Keane achieved for SAFC.
We were on our way to becoming the next Leeds Utd before Keano arrived.
Keane also made some class signings but as he would say we move on.
Good luck Brucie.
By Eamonn Reynolds, Sunderland. Posted August 2 2009 at 5:06 AM.
TERRIBLE COMMENTS FROM SUNDERLAND FANS. WHEN KEANE TOOK YOU OvER YOU WERE HEADING FOR LEAGUE ONE lLIKE LEEDS CITY ETC. AND BY SPENDING AROUND 5 MILLION HE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE SAME SEASON. HE ALSO KEPT YOU UP AND SOME REALLY GOOD PLAYERS JONES, RICHARDSON ETC
By ROry. Posted August 2 2009 at 12:49 AM.
No worries, we should be cool this time around. Keane was not a good manager, this geordie bloke is. Like Sir Bobby he can transcend the divide and is a real gentleman to boot.
I think top ten is silly, we will finish 10 from bottom at best next season and that woukld be real progress; after that we are on the road.
Eventually a stable Sunderland will attract players. £100k a week will attract enough quality despite the wags wanting jimmy chu and 45,000 fans will provde the income to support those salaries.
But in the end 'the millionaires club' will triumph with the same strengths it has drawn from for for 100 years, sons and daughters of miners, shipworkers, labourers, farmers and skilled workers from wearside and durham. Good folk like Sir Bobby who have an unmatched passion for their club. Its unwavering and in my lifetime it will triumph.
By steevo. Posted August 1 2009 at 11:40 PM.