AT the end of a week where his problems have gone from bad to worse to catastrophic Steve Bruce is struggling to grin and bear it as Sunderland manager.

When he smiles it is through gritted teeth, when he laughs it is because of a black, gallows humour, when he tries to be philosophical it is marred by frustration.

With nine of his first-choice XI ruled out by injury this weekend, Bruce is trying as hard as he can to lift spirits and restore confidence.

He is fighting a losing battle. The Black Cats have won just two of their last 12 games and while their haul of 41 points will almost certainly be enough to ensure they fighting on the Premier League battleground again next season, it is considerably less than their manager would have expected at the start of February.

Given the makeshift nature of the side he will be able to send out at Bolton this afternoon, and the lack of alternative options available to him for the two fixtures after that, Sunderland will do well to get more than three points from their remaining games.

It has meant Bruce is facing unreasonable calls for his head from disgruntled supporters who had been persuaded European football was on the agenda this year, while he has also felt the need to justify himself to owner Ellis Short.

Bruce is being backed to the hilt in that respect by chairman Niall Quinn who understands better than anyone in the boardroom just how crippling the club’s injury crisis has been.

But after so much optimism, after so much improvement and so much excitement over the course of the first six months of the campaign, this has been one of the hardest experiences of Bruce’s managerial career.

At times the frustration can turn into anger and the under-fire boss admits he is finding it difficult not to lash out at the criticism and the critics – particularly those who have even started to blame him for the injuries.

“I don’t think I have put anybody on to a football pitch who I did not think was fit enough to take part in the game,” said Bruce, following claims he has rushed players back too soon from injury which is why they keep breaking down again.

“They have all come back to us and said they were fit. The only one, probably, who we did bring back too soon was Titus Bramble.