Steve Bruce has emerged as the top candidate for Niall Quinn’s Sunderland revolution and with American investor Ellis Short poised to bankroll the Mackems, a £5m compensation package could well be struck with Wigan to secure Bruce as their new manager.
Following the resignation of Ricky Sbragia, Sunderland have been hunting for a big name manager to help the club move forward and it seems that Steve Bruce fits the bill. Should he become the new boss at the Stadium of Light it will be the seventh managerial position that Bruce has held in just 11 years and it will be the second time he has walked out on Dave Whelan and Wigan Athletic for a ‘bigger club’.
There is no doubt that Bruce is a talented manager. This year with Wigan he has once again shown that he has the ability to compete in the Premier League with unfashionable clubs. It has been a good, solid season for the Latics and it could have been even better had they not suffered a poor run of form at the end of the campaign. For a club tipped as relegation candidates by most critics in pre-season an 11th-placed finish was a terrific result. Sunderland meanwhile narrowly avoided the drop and finished 9 points adrift of Wigan in 16th place. So why would Bruce, a self-confessed Geordie, want to take charge of Sunderland?
This season has seen Bruce mentioned as a potential heir to Sir Alex Ferguson’s throne. It would be no shock to see the former Manchester United captain take over the reins at Old Trafford should Fergie call it a day but to leave Wigan for Sunderland is a little more debatable. Ok, with the new American investment Sunderland could have an impressive transfer kitty but with money from the sales of Wilson Palacios, Emile Heskey and the possible £21m being touted for Antonia Valencia to play with surely Wigan are in a position to push on and look towards a European place next season.
Looking at Steve Bruce’s track record it would be no surprise to see the former Manchester United defender move to Sunderland. In October 1999 he left Sheffield United after a year in charge citing a lack of funds as the main reason behind his departure. A week later he was in charge of Huddersfield Town who backed their man with a handsome transfer kitty. Unfortunately Bruce was given the boot just over a year later with Huddersfield chairman Barry Rubery claiming he wasted the clubs money. Next up was Wigan but after 2 months, 8 games and a play-off semi-final defeat the hot-seat at Crystal Palace beckoned. This time he lasted 4 months before Birmingham City came calling and Bruce handed in his resignation.
At the time Bruce was accused of lacking in loyalty, letting down the chairmen who had put their faith in him and of leaving clubs in a considerable mess. However, after a successful six year spell with Birmingham City his reputation was on the mend. His last few months in the West Midlands were difficult and with unrest growing amongst the supporters Bruce could be forgiven for accepting a move to Wigan.
Bruce has been at the JJB Stadium for little under 18 months and has so far proved to be moving Wigan in the right direction. By moving to Sunderland he has a lot to lose. Everybody knows that Sunderland are a big club but if it doesn’t go well for Bruce in the North East then he may find dubious chairmen unwilling to gamble on a man who shows his employers such little loyalty, commitment and devotion. Success on the other hand would no doubt propel him into the frame for the country’s top jobs. Bruce is obviously an ambitious man and if he can get Sunderland competing in the upper echelons of the Premier League then he would certainly be a front-runner for the Manchester United job when Sir Alex steps down.
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