The sky’s the limit for new manager Steve Bruce
Jun 4 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal
Steve Bruce is from the wrong side of the North East’s tribal divide, but his appointment as Sunderland manager still felt like a homecoming. Chief Sports Writer Luke Edwards reports
He said: “I read a couple of chapters of Stokoe’s biography. He had a problem in the dressing room and that was the main thing. I do believe people from the North East generally want each other to do well. That’s born and bred round here. Of course there is a rivalry, but Paul Bracewell is another (who came from Newcastle) – at the end of the day I was born in Newcastle, end of story.
“I’ve worked for 10-11 years to get to this stage where I’ve got an opportunity to come to a place with a great infrastructure, big crowds, a great chairman and a new owner who’s been bitten by the bug.”
And it was the 48-year-old’s CV, not his birthplace which got him that job. Having learnt from his mistakes at Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town and Crystal Palace, Bruce has been largely successful at Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic, building a solid reputation as a smart tactician and a shrewd operator in the transfer market. It was only a matter of time before someone lured him away from that footballing backwater at the JJB Stadium and gave him the chance to prove himself on a far larger stage in front of a far bigger audience.
However, it will be the qualities which got him this opportunity, qualities he believes were forged in the North East, which will be deployed to try and ensure he is a success.
Bruce added: “Teamwork is the one thing you’ve got to instill. Anyone who has ever worked under me knows, I’ll forgive them a misplaced pass, if they miss an open goal, a misdirected header – what I won’t forgive is not going out and giving it everything they’ve got.
“If they go out and play with a bit of pride and passion and play for the jersey, they’ll be OK. The North East epitomises that, they want to see their team really roll their sleeves up and have a go.
“If I can provide a team like I did at Wigan and Birmingham, the North East and the Sunderland fans will be absolutely delighted with that. I can’t wait to get started.”
