Steve Bruce sacked as chairman bemoans bad run of results

Saturday’s home defeat to Wigan – who started the day bottom of the table – left Sunderland 16th in the league, just two points above the relegation zone.

Bruce insisted he had no intention of walking away from the club, despite fans calling for his head. But chairman and owner Short decided that he had seen enough after Wigan snatched a last-minute winner which means the Black Cats have won just two of their last 15 league games at the Stadium of Light.

In a statement released on the club’s official website, www.safc.com, Short said: “This has been a difficult time for everyone at Sunderland and is not a situation that any of us envisaged or expected to be in.

“It is my job as chairman to act in the best interests of our football club at all times and I can assure everyone that this is not a decision I have taken lightly.

“Sadly results this season have simply not been good enough and I feel the time is right to make a change.

“Steve has acted with honesty and integrity throughout, which is testament to the character and commitment he has shown during his time at Sunderland.

“I would like to personally place on record my thanks to him for his significant contribution to our football club over the past two and a half years and everyone here at Sunderland naturally wishes him the very best for the future.

“I would also like to thank our fans, who have endured a trying start to the season. Their support continues to be the driving force behind our club and is vital as we now look to the future.”

Bruce’s Tyneside roots had been a source of disquiet for some supporters, with the 50-year-old Geordie saying of fans’ chants: “It borders on abuse.”

However, the fact remains that last season’s tenth-place finish in the Premier League was flattering to say the least, with the club still involved in a relegation battle until late April and only climbing into the top half on the back of two wins in the last three games at Bolton and relegated West Ham.

Bruce has also spent an enormous amount of money since taking the job in June 2009, and although some of that was recouped by Darren Bent’s move to Aston Villa, the likes of Craig Gardner, David Vaughan and Ji Dong-won have failed to impress since signing in the summer.

Bruce also kept insisting his raft of new players needed time to gel, but that was hard for fans to accept given that the seven major signings arrived in plenty of time for a full pre-season campaign.

And former Sunderland midfielder Michael Gray said he believed the Wearsiders’ board acted at the right time. Gray, who played for his hometown club from 1992-2004, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “No-one likes to see a manager get the sack, but the time is probably right.

“It’s unfortunate, but the players haven’t been performing to their best and results aren’t what were expected. He brought in ten players in the summer. People have said they need time to gel, but how long do you need?

“It’s all about performances and results week in, week out. The buck stops with the manager and the result at the weekend [the 2-1 home defeat to Wigan] was probably the last straw.

“When you don’t get the results the fans turn and that happened on Saturday. They were going crazy.”

Assistant manager Eric Black will take charge of the team while the search for a new manager begins. The Black Cats travel to Wolves on Sunday, one of a series of four games which Bruce had targeted to help his side climb the table.

However, a dire 0-0 draw with Fulham was followed by the defeat to Wigan, while the weekend’s trip to Molineux is followed by a home game against fellow strugglers Blackburn, with both games live on television.

Former Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill – a boyhood Sunderland fan – is the early favourite to replace Bruce.