BRUCE WEIGHS IN WITH BRADY PUNCH
Birmingham 2 Sunderland 1
STEVE BRUCE came back to St Andrew's to a warm welcome from fans of a club where he enjoyed eight years of management before a sour departure to Wigan.
He left last night spitting angry words about former Birmingham managing director Karren Brady's "patronising" comments in the build-up to his return.
Sunderland boss Bruce had every cause to be angry with his players about their tepid performance, but he reserved his bile for Ms Brady.
His mood beforehand was dark. He had choked over his breakfast when he read his former boss's description of him as "an excellent manager and a good bloke".
Bruce responded: "The patronising stuff from Karren Brady I found really galling. When I was here she was selling players from underneath me like Matthew Upson.
"She was shafting me over my contract towards the end of the season (before he left). All this nicey-nicey thing comes all of a sudden - I find it a bit strange."
Bruce was just as annoyed by his own players, who were awful for three-quarters of the game.
Sunderland needed some help from a beach ball but the only outside assistance they got was an own goal from Birmingham defender Scott Dann. They needed more because their own efforts fell flat.
For 70 minutes, Bruce's men toiled tamely against a lively Blues side who succeeded in puncturing a team who were flying high after beating Liverpool and being cruelly denied victory at Old Trafford.
But whereas the victory over the Scousers came through Darren Bent's freak goal, there was nothing inflated about this Black Cats display except their reputations as would-be top six challengers.
Donkeys
Sunderland were woeful at both ends of the pitch - not so much thoroughbreds, more like donkeys lumbering across a seaside beach.
Under the watchful gaze of Carson Yeung, who was attending his first game at St Andrew's since his takeover, Birmingham put on a show to impress their new owner.
The Hong Kong tycoon's views on Brady are so far unknown but he is thought to be less than impressed by the size of her severance deal on leaving the club.
He would rather spend his money on developing a team which on yesterday's evidence have a Premier League future.
Birmingham were good value for their victory. Liam Ridgewell's 37th-minute deflection from Seb Larsson's free-kick was a reward for their first-half supremacy.
Before that, James McFadden was denied by a superb Kieran Richardson challenge to prevent him from converting a cross, while Christian Benitez twice went close with a shot over the bar and a second well saved by Craig Gordon.
When McFadden added a second goal three minutes after the interval, the Black Cats had used up all of their lives.
The Scot finished superbly after cutting inside Phil Bardsley when Cameron Jerome's flick found him inside the penalty box.
Sunderland shook themselves up for the final 20 minutes and found themselves in with a chance when Dann hooked the ball into his own net in trying to clear Michael Turner's header.
Sub Fraizer Campbell headed woefully over the top and Darren Bent volleyed an easy chance just wide in the final five minutes.
But an equaliser then would have been undeserved and Bruce was honest enough to admit that.
Jubliant
He would not have recognised the feelgood factor that has descended over St Andrew's since the new team arrived bearing gifts from the Far East.
A beaming Yeung, jubilant in the directors' box at the final whistle, has promised up to £80million for team-building.
He was last seen slipping a huge cheque back into his pocket, convinced that Birmingham are good enough without such huge investment.
They might still need most of it. Despite this encouraging win, Blues still have plenty of catching up to do after years of underachievement. Steve Bruce would testify to that.
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