Post by El Morto La Hoja! on Jun 3, 2009 17:35:54 GMT -1
New Sunderland manager Steve Bruce described his pride after signing a three-year deal to take over at the Stadium of Light.
Bruce was unveiled as the new manager of the Black Cats on Wednesday afternoon after a compensation package was finally agreed with his former club Wigan.
Bruce has made no secret of the fact he was a boyhood fan of Newcastle, Sunderland's neighbours and fiercest rivals, but he does not expect that to be a problem.
"I don't think so," he said. "I think they like one of their own from the north east.
"It's results on the pitch that matter. I hope I can win over the few doubters I have. The vast majority of what I've seen is positive."
Bruce believes being from the north east will give him an advantage.
"I'm proud to sit here and be Sunderland manager," he said.
"Unless you're born up here, you don't really realise what it means.
"It's a working class area. It was born in me and bred in me that I only got there with hard work. I wasn't blessed with any huge ability.
"I got there with a bit of hard graft and a bit of determination and I want my team to mirror that.
"I'm going to give everyone a chance. I've got the chance to work with the players for a good few weeks before the transfer deadline.
"Whatever happened in the past, I'm not really interested in. To start with I want to give every single one of them a chance. We have some good players here and I want to have a good look."
Bruce will be joined on Wearside by coaches Eric Black, Nigel Spink and Keith Bertschin, who have agreed to follow him from Wigan.
And he hopes together they can take Sunderland forward and replicate the success they had at their previous club.
He said: "The aim is to take the progression forward. We don't want to be flirting with relegation. We want to be up where we were with Wigan."
Chairman Niall Quinn expects Bruce to add some backbone to a team which was threatened with the drop this season.
"There are times - and the players would admit this - when we've been brittle," he said. "We've made some giant strides and some backwards steps.
"I believe the thing that's been missing is steel.
"[Bruce] will forgive a player working hard if their passing goes astray, but what he won't forgive is not working.
"He was top of the list, we had some very good candidates, but I think Steve is the perfect fit."
