The departure of some major names â and a worrying mid-season slump â left Steve Bruce with no choice but to reshape his squad again, says Mark Douglas
REVOLUTION, once again, is in the air on Wearside.
For the third successive summer Steve Bruce has overseen a major overhaul of his squad but this time, more than any, he needs to have got it right.
Major changes were to expected when Bruce inherited the bloated, unbalanced Ricky Sbragia squad that clung to Premier League life by their fingernails in 2009 and a second stage of that development was to be expected some twelve months later.
But this summerâs nine-man recruitment drive was an unforeseen development â pushed partly by Darren Bentâs shock January departure and the dispiriting slump that left Sunderland looking far too short in certain key areas.
As even Bruce admits, it wasnât supposed to come to this but his hand was somewhat forced by some major exits that he had not predicted.
âI know that I said a year ago that there wouldnât have to be major changes again but circumstances changed,â he said.
âWe lost Jordan, we lost Darren Bent â and then there were the loan players who had to go back. John Mensah as well, who was a terrific player but I just couldnât justify it with his injury record.
âIâve been really happy with what weâve done. I like the look and the balance of the squad â I think everyone knows where weâd like to add but thereâs a real feelgood factor about the place.â
Clearly, Black Cat progress over the last three years has been acute. Bankrolled by a major investor in Ellis Short, they have spent â at a conservative estimate â some £95million to bring in international players that just five years ago would not have contemplated joining a club damned by the âyo-yoâ club tag.
No-one considers Sunderland anything but part of the Premier League furniture now but there have been boardroom frustrations along the way that the pace of change hasnât been quicker.
Bruce has never been genuinely vulnerable in the eyes of the Sunderland power brokers but questions have been asked about the way the Black Cats have fallen away in successive seasons. The Sunderland boss put forward the suggestion that youthful inexperience meant that his side couldnât cope when the chips were down and used it to support his argument that the club should be shooting for the likes of Wes Brown and John OâShea with the money accrued by the double sale of Jordan Henderson and Darren Bent.
Those departures were regrettable, unforeseen and hardly ideal. But Bruce argues that Sunderland supporters know that those in charge have the best wishes of the club at heart when such difficult decisions are taken.
âItâs vitally important for the club that thereâs a trust, and that stems from Niall, that sometimes we have to take the money.
âYou lose a really good player, but as long as the supporters can see the money reinvested back into the team and the club and the team can be stronger for the sale of one player.
âNobody wants to let their best players go and no one thinks more of Jordan than I do, but I believe in the money and what we got for him. You might not like signing off a deal like that, but it enabled me to go and buy Craig Gardner, Seb Larsson, David Vaughan, Keiren Westwood, Connor Wickham, four or five who strengthen the squad?â
Bruce would argue that his squad has improved infinitely since he took over, and point to the number of sales as proof that he is as committed to balancing the budget as any of the clubâs bean counters.
But thereâs a suspicion, too, that Bruce enjoys his reputation as a wheeler-dealer â a sort of Northern Harry Redknapp.
Although public denials are usually issued when unlikely links emerge, Bruce makes it his job to be kept abreast of any potential deal that Sunderland can potentially broker.
Sources close to the Black Cats boss spoke of a speculative call to David Beckham last Christmas as the England man was assessing his options during the MLS close season while Bruce was never far from the Charles NâZogbia deal until it became âtoo richâ. It is a fine trait to have a manager so well versed in the vagaries of the transfer market but at some point, the conveyor belt has to grind to a halt.
Another major overhaul would be counter-productive and Sunderland now need a modicum of continuity if they are to progress beyond the top ten finish achieved last season.
REVOLUTION, once again, is in the air on Wearside.
For the third successive summer Steve Bruce has overseen a major overhaul of his squad but this time, more than any, he needs to have got it right.
Major changes were to expected when Bruce inherited the bloated, unbalanced Ricky Sbragia squad that clung to Premier League life by their fingernails in 2009 and a second stage of that development was to be expected some twelve months later.
But this summerâs nine-man recruitment drive was an unforeseen development â pushed partly by Darren Bentâs shock January departure and the dispiriting slump that left Sunderland looking far too short in certain key areas.
As even Bruce admits, it wasnât supposed to come to this but his hand was somewhat forced by some major exits that he had not predicted.
âI know that I said a year ago that there wouldnât have to be major changes again but circumstances changed,â he said.
âWe lost Jordan, we lost Darren Bent â and then there were the loan players who had to go back. John Mensah as well, who was a terrific player but I just couldnât justify it with his injury record.
âIâve been really happy with what weâve done. I like the look and the balance of the squad â I think everyone knows where weâd like to add but thereâs a real feelgood factor about the place.â
Clearly, Black Cat progress over the last three years has been acute. Bankrolled by a major investor in Ellis Short, they have spent â at a conservative estimate â some £95million to bring in international players that just five years ago would not have contemplated joining a club damned by the âyo-yoâ club tag.
No-one considers Sunderland anything but part of the Premier League furniture now but there have been boardroom frustrations along the way that the pace of change hasnât been quicker.
Bruce has never been genuinely vulnerable in the eyes of the Sunderland power brokers but questions have been asked about the way the Black Cats have fallen away in successive seasons. The Sunderland boss put forward the suggestion that youthful inexperience meant that his side couldnât cope when the chips were down and used it to support his argument that the club should be shooting for the likes of Wes Brown and John OâShea with the money accrued by the double sale of Jordan Henderson and Darren Bent.
Those departures were regrettable, unforeseen and hardly ideal. But Bruce argues that Sunderland supporters know that those in charge have the best wishes of the club at heart when such difficult decisions are taken.
âItâs vitally important for the club that thereâs a trust, and that stems from Niall, that sometimes we have to take the money.
âYou lose a really good player, but as long as the supporters can see the money reinvested back into the team and the club and the team can be stronger for the sale of one player.
âNobody wants to let their best players go and no one thinks more of Jordan than I do, but I believe in the money and what we got for him. You might not like signing off a deal like that, but it enabled me to go and buy Craig Gardner, Seb Larsson, David Vaughan, Keiren Westwood, Connor Wickham, four or five who strengthen the squad?â
Bruce would argue that his squad has improved infinitely since he took over, and point to the number of sales as proof that he is as committed to balancing the budget as any of the clubâs bean counters.
But thereâs a suspicion, too, that Bruce enjoys his reputation as a wheeler-dealer â a sort of Northern Harry Redknapp.
Although public denials are usually issued when unlikely links emerge, Bruce makes it his job to be kept abreast of any potential deal that Sunderland can potentially broker.
Sources close to the Black Cats boss spoke of a speculative call to David Beckham last Christmas as the England man was assessing his options during the MLS close season while Bruce was never far from the Charles NâZogbia deal until it became âtoo richâ. It is a fine trait to have a manager so well versed in the vagaries of the transfer market but at some point, the conveyor belt has to grind to a halt.
Another major overhaul would be counter-productive and Sunderland now need a modicum of continuity if they are to progress beyond the top ten finish achieved last season.
