SAFC boss Bruce reveals his five-year plan Jul 24 2011 by Mark Douglas, Sunday Sun 12next LAUGHTER rained down on the Hannover hills at Sunderlandâs German training base this week. Steve Bruce is intent on making it fun to come to work and his Black Cat craic was razor sharp as he put his players through their paces during regular double sessions over eight days of solid pre-season graft. Ask him about the way ahead for his remodelled squad, though, and he turns serious. Sunderland wonât have landed, he contends, until they have replicated last seasonâs top-10 finish for FIVE consecutive years. Sounds simple? Some might say. After all, Bruce has bolstered the squad that broke into that bracket with eight new arrivals who have all added something to a Sunderland side that veered between the sublime and the ridiculous last time out. That they eventually finished 10th â thanks to West Bromâs late, late equaliser at a stunned St Jamesâ Park â was in spite of a spring collapse that convinced Bruce changes needed to be made. Taking time to break bread with the Sunday Sun under the inky Saxony skies, Bruce can reflect on a turbulent period with the insurance of a âfeel-goodâ summer behind him. He says: âIt taught me so much. I learned a lot about myself, my staff, what it takes to be a success round here. âPeople said it was the whole winter, but it was eight games. But we have to understand we took one point from nine games, which was horrific. It shook us. âThere are things we did and certain approaches that needed to be changed. âMaybe I needed a bit more experience about the place, which is what Iâve tried to do this summer.â At times, Bruce admits, he felt under siege during the Black Catsâ disastrous spring. A succession of trauma injuries were unfortunate, but gave the misleading impression there was something fundamentally wrong with the way he was going about the business of trying to bump Sunderland into the leagueâs top 10. He doesnât say it here, but there must have been some satisfaction that his critics were answered with a finish that fulfilled the pre-season promise made to owner Ellis Short. Nicking into that position re-energised the club â triggering a bonus clause in the contract of every employee that led to more smiling faces. âThat was the good thing was, we achieved what we set out to achieve â even though we got there in a roundabout way,â he said. âWe set out to finish 10th and we got there in the finish. Even though it was an awful middle bit, to finish with back to back away wins and a 3-0 win at West Ham was fantastic. âIt meant that the whole club got a bonus. The tea ladies, the grounds staff got a bonus. âThat pleased me more than the players getting the bonus â everyone at the club did. It was terrific. âThe grounds staff got a bonus and they were beaming because it got them away on holiday. âThat was the great thing for me, that we finished 10th. âNow we have to repeat it. We canât settle. We have to maintain it for the next five years. âWe donât want to drop out of the top 10 now, we want Sunderland to be established in the top 10.â That is a seriously big ask, Bruce reckons. Pointing to the business carried out by Liverpool â fifth last year â and Champions Manchester United he reckons Sunderlandâs summer recruitment drive was necessary to keep the club progressing. âWhen you look at what the top five or six are doing this summer, weâre not going to break into that,â he said. âBut I think weâre making big strides. âIf I look at where we were two years ago when I came into the club and what I saw out there this morning, to be honest itâs night and day. âOther teams have improved, to be fair, but I think weâve improved significantly. To be fair, thatâs my job.â A week in Germany has helped that process. The only shadow over the camp has been the return of John OâShea after just 48 hours following a hamstring tweak that required intensive treatment. Early estimates of a fortnight out look optimistic and he will be struggling to make the Liverpool trip in just under three weeks. But with plenty of alternative options, Bruce is not unduly concerned. Positivity bolsters the Black Cat cause for the moment, not least because Bruce is one of those âhand round the shoulderâ kind of bosses. He said: âThe one thing Iâm always trying to get across to people is that I want people to come to work and enjoy what they do. âWhat has happened in Germany is weâve been here for eight days, weâre in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a bunch of trees, the weather has been terrific for training. âThe pitches have been good, the food has been good and thatâs what you want.â And then, finally, there is the effect that eight days of hard work has had on a group still getting to know each other. âWe need to get them to gel quick,â he said. âThereâs a good atmosphere among them, there seems to be a real feel-good factor with the squad which is important. âJi doesnât even understand a word of English but heâs getting there. âSessegnon is integrating. He put the captainâs armband on, heâd never have done that before. âThat is what I want to create.â
Good read Syd ... and nice to hear our 10th place earned some of the 'normal earners' at SAFC some extra pennies too!
