Steve Bruce: I want to win cup as boss

Oct 27 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

STEVE Bruce will order his Sunderland players to take tonight’s League Cup tie against Aston Villa seriously, with memories of an unpleasant trip to the seaside six years ago still fresh.

The Black Cats have suffered an injury scare to top-scorer Darren Bent but will otherwise keep changes to a minimum as Bruce senses a chance for his first major silverware in an 11-year managerial career in which he has not come “remotely close”.

The Black Cats boss, who lifted the League Cup as a player with Norwich City and Manchester United, saw a weakened Birmingham City knocked out in the second round at Blackpool in the 2003-04 season. The chastening experience altered his attitude.

“When I was at Birmingham I put out half a team at Blackpool and we got turned over, I was concentrating on establishing them as a Premier League team,” he recalled. “You get worried sick about picking up injuries and suspensions in a cup run.

“But a run can lift the whole town. The fans want to see you take it seriously and to try and win it. Realistically we have a chance, we’re are a Premier League team. What the hell’s the point of just going along trying to be a Premier League team?”

Bruce will be hindered by the absence of Bent with a knee problem, and will use an injury to right-back Phil Bardsley to give much-needed match practice to Nyron Nosworthy.

Villa are expected to make a raft of changes despite having failed to make it to the Europa League group stages. Emile Heskey is set for only his fourth club start this season and Luke Young, Fabian Delph, Craig Gardner, Nigel Reo-Coker, Habib Beye and Nicky Shorey could all feature.

While understanding the logic, Bruce does not share the view that clubs of his and Villa’s stature should disregard the cup. “This competition is more difficult than the FA Cup because the big teams are seeded and the sides playing in Europe don't come in until the fourth round,” he said. “We're in the last 16 and 13 of them are Premier League clubs. But the supporters would love a quarter-final to look forward to.