Bruce to get tough with his defence

Aug 31 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

STEVE Bruce has warned his defence they need to shape up or they will be shipped out as he looks to overhaul his under-performing back four by concluding deals for Michael Turner and Maynor Figueroa and selling Danny Collins.

Collins held talks with Stoke after Saturday’s defeat at the Britannia Stadium and, although Bruce insisted that he would be happy to welcome the defender back to the Stadium of Light if a move broke down, The Journal understands the player is resigned to leaving.

The move has surprised and disappointed some supporters, with Sunderland’s visiting fans singing the name of the supporters’ player of the year for the past two seasons as he warmed up at the Britannia.

But with Bruce increasingly confident of landing Hull skipper Turner and Wigan left-back Figueroa, he is confident that Sunderland will be in better shape by the time the transfer deadline passes at 5pm tomorrow.

Bruce is braced for a busy 48 hours and all the indications are that the Black Cats are looking for more than two new additions.

The Journal understands that Sunderland had a scouting delegation in Belgium to watch Anderlecht’s Poland defender Marcin Wasilewski over the weekend, and the Black Cats could move for the tough-tackling attacking right-back with 38 caps for his country.

Speaking about the decision to accept a bid from Stoke for Collins, Bruce accepted that it would not please everyone.

“I understand there has been a lot of surprise about it. He is a popular lad. I have to make decisions which I believe are the best for the football club and try to move on and make those big decisions. You hope to be judged next summer or the summer after, not after six games.

“I think Danny Collins accepts that’s football. I don’t know. It is up to him. It was a bit of a shock. The bid

just came out of the blue. We have given him permission to talk but if he doesn’t go we’ll take him back.

“The Michael Turner thing keeps on rearing its head and we have got a bit of work to do on it.

“The last thing I want to be doing with people who have served the club so well (like Danny) is push him out the door, so I’ve left the decision up to him. We have got John Mensah coming through the door as well.”

It is clear that Bruce envisages big changes in defence after a desperately poor performance at Stoke.

He admitted that Sunderland are not brave enough at the moment and repeated his assertion that transforming the club would take time.

“When you defend set-pieces it has to be as a team and certainly it is our Achilles heel,” he said. “I will ask the questions and if I get the response that we can’t keep dealing with it I will get a team which will be able to do it.

“That’s five times now people have scored against us from corners. It can’t keep happening. What we have to remember very quickly is that we stayed up by the skin of our teeth last season with a very good squad.

“People may say it was a very good squad but results did not prove that and the Achilles heel is still there, our physical presence. We have got to be brave enough to put our head where it hurts and we haven’t got enough of that.”

The outgoings continued yesterday with Paul McShane completing his move to Hull City. But the double transfer of Grant Leadbitter and Carlos Edwards to Ipswich is far from certain, with Bruce admitting it may not happen.