Steve Bruce is confident the future is bright

Jul 18 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

“I’ve put them in to train with us and I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen. I always believe that if you can bring a kid through there’s nothing quite like it and I think the supporters enjoy seeing that too. It can only bear well for the future.”

Bruce has also been pleased with the application and effort of some of his more senior players, with the rotund Andy Reid receiving special praise for his weight loss over the summer.

He explained: “We’ve been back a week and they are working extremely hard. It’s obviously been different for them, it’s hard work, but it’s pre-season so it’s going to be hard.

“Andy Reid has lost eight kilos and worked extremely hard and that can only be fair play to him. Nobody on our side has done that for him, he’s done it himself and if he can continue like that he’ll do well. He looked far, far better for that I think you’ll agree.”

Meanwhile, former Sunderland winger Liam Lawrence is doing everything he can to persuade Dean Whitehead to reject a reunion with Keane at Portman Road to stay in the top flight with Stoke City.

Lawrence fell out in spectacular fashion with Keane during their time at the Stadium of Light and was quickly moved on to Stoke where he has been a big success.

And the former Mansfield Town prospect is convinced Whitehead will benefit from working with Stoke boss Tony Pulis.

He said: “I said a few things which I had better not go into. I just said you want to be in the best league and this is a club going forward here at Stoke.

“I spoke to him the other day and I speak to him quite regularly. Obviously the gaffer (Tony Pulis) fancies him and he asked me about him. I gave it my full backing. Maybe it’s time he moved on from Sunderland for a new challenge. It would be great if they thrash things out and he comes here.

“He was one of the best midfielders I’d played with when he first went to Sunderland and now, with years of experience in the Premier League behind him, he will be ready for the challenge of Stoke.

“The players that have come here from Sunderland (Lawrence, Thomas Sorensen, Danny Higginbotham and Rory Delap) needed to move on and, to be fair, the manager gets the best out of us.”