Sunderland boss Steve Bruce hails Arsene Wenger's 'genius'

Steve Bruce regards Arsene Wenger as an “absolute genius,” but reckons his success has cost British managers’ top jobs.

The Sunderland boss wants to emulate Wenger’s record as an ace bargain finder in the transfer market, and says the teams he has built at Arsenal are exquisite to watch.

But Bruce also reckons that too many club owners have looked at Wenger’s brilliant 13 year reign, and think that appointing a foreign boss will get a piece of the Frenchman’s magic.

Five of the Premier League’s managers are non-British, and Bruce says many of them have got their top flight chance by getting teams promoted.

Bruce has benefited from his excellent relationship with Wenger in the past by loaning three players who helped get him Birmingham side promoted including Nicolas Bendtner.

Bruce, who faces Arsenal today, said: “He is a genius. The way they play. It used to be boring, boring Arsenal who won 1-0 and now it has gone the other way, goals galore.

“Maybe his success is to the detriment of the British manager. Other chairmen have thought we need a foreign manager to emulate  him.

“The difference is that to be a British Premier League boss you have to bring a team in with you. That’s what I believe. There’s very few who have been appointed liked David Moyes, who did well at Preston and went to Everton and stayed there.

“Most have brought teams in. Mick McCarthy, Tony Pulis, Owen Coyle, Phil Brown.

“But take this in the right way, I have the utmost respect for Arsene, he is an absolute genius. To compete at what he does, to buy what he does, to sell at what he does is amazing. Let’s  be fair he sold £50million in the summer in Adebayor and Toure, brings Vermaelen in and he scores five from defence.

“He’s a fantastic at what he does. He has to be one of the greats, even though he might not have won that many trophies in recent years, to produce the players he has for the last 12, 13 years is phenomenal.

“The Pires, Bergkamp team I played against those years ago was some team. Then there was the Henry and all that. Henry was £11m, Anelka was £500,000 then sold at a huge profit.”

Wenger has bagged three titles, four FA Cups and a UEFA Cup but nothing for four seasons.

But Bruce addded: “As an Arsenal fan you want your team to win, but they are a fantastic team to watch, they have great individual players, who are worth their entrance fee at any ground in the country. For me, when Arsenal come to town it is THE big occasion, just like when United, Chelsea, Arsenal have always had that bit of class.”

Bruce is scouring the world for cheap discoveries to launch on the Premier League at Sunderland and hopes he can strike lucky in South America. He held a meeting with his 'Dads' Army' of scouts this week saying: “They’ve been in with their bus passes and walking sticks!

“What I try to do is unearth a player can get value for money. I don’t try to copy anybody. The grounding I have had at previous clubs meant that I didn’t have the financial resources where I could just go out and buy somebody.”

Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley doesn’t think that Arsenal will win the title this year, saying his former club Manchester United will be competing with Chelsea for the honours.

But he has revealed their pace and movement leave the opposition in a head-spin.

He said: “I played against Arsenal on loan at Villa and it was tough - more mentally than physically. Against the top boys your head is like a windscreen wiper because of the movement which their players have got. It is mentally draining more than physically.

“It is going in the right direction and we always give 110 per cent. We have done that so far but we have obviously got to show more consistency even though we are heading where we want to be.

“We are all right when we have the ball but when we haven’t got it that is where we have to improve and make it harder for teams.”