Sunderland owner Short has got the right man in Martin O'Neill - now he must back him

By Andy Dunn

Published 21:01 03/12/11

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It is tough to feel sympathy for a manager never slow to empty his desk at the first glimpse of greener grass.

It is hard to stop the spread of a wry smile when a serial walker gets the boot.

But Steve Bruce deserved a more dignified farewell than to be ­showered with verbal filth.

Departing the Stadium of Light on a tidal wave of ­vitriol, he might just be thankful his time at ­Sunderland is over.

Yes, he was handsomely paid and will be handsomely recompensed.

No amount of money, though, numbs the pain of being publicly vilified.

Too often in the game, valid ­criticism and legitimate protest morph into downright abuse and ritual humiliation.

Poisonous hatred has been an ­unwelcome guest of 21st-century football. Yet still, its pull remains as ­magnetic as ever.

Why else would Martin O’Neill — his 60th birthday looming — feel compelled to return to the ­touchline?

Why else would he up sticks from leafy Buckinghamshire and head into such a demanding footballing environment?

It’s not for dough, that’s for sure.

A comfortable retirement from management would have been cushioned even further by a pundit’s salary. And he has plenty of other interests to occupy the most ­active of minds. No, the sport is his passion — just as it is for those thousands of supporters who were calling for, albeit in a ­disturbingly unseemly manner, Bruce’s firing.

O’Neill is probably no more or no less ­passionate than his predecessor at the ­Stadium of Light.

But as form and events conspired against him — had Wes Brown not fouled up against Wigan, he would probably still be in charge for the trip to Wolves today, no matter what chairman Ellis Short says — there was a world-weariness about Bruce that signalled an ­inevitable end.

On the face of it, the appointment of O’Neill is an ambitious one. A bold one.

A heavyweight, experienced manager with a decent — if not spectacular — track record.

Actually, what Short has done is to go for a short-term fix.

He ­believes O’Neill’s ­infectious character will put bums on seats.

On the eve of being handed his P45, Bruce watched a youth team game.

It is ­unlikely the development of a long-term, talent production line will be top of O’Neill’s to-do list.

The short haul — not the long one — is what will matter to him most when he starts work on the training ground tomorrow.

And he will soon realise it will be no easy task.

This is a painfully ­imbalanced Sunderland squad — for that, Bruce must take the blame. A startling lack of midfield ­creativity allied to some pretty ­insipid attacking options is a ­disastrous combination.

That is why O’Neill, despite ­ominous noises about managing the wage bill, will need financial backing when the transfer window opens.

In fact, he will need the type of unequivocal backing from all ­quarters that Bruce never ­received.

Sure, he bought. But he also had to sell.

Only a genius would haul a club beyond mid-table with an annual recruitment ­outlay of just £22million.

The speed with which the deal was done ­suggests Short and O’Neill hit it off splendidly.

Good. Because the final throes of O’Neill’s previous relationship with an American owner left a bitter taste.

Short is, indeed, hiring a passionate guy but a principled one.

Walking out on Villa five days ­before the start of a season could well have ­inflicted terminal damage to his reputation.

But O’Neill considered his position had been ­undermined and, even though he must have known how bad it would look, left.

That is the type of strong-willed character the chairman and ­Sunderland fans are ­getting.

Short has done the easy part in recruiting a man clearly desperate to return to the chaotic world of ­football management — a world with precious little middle ground, where you are either deity or demon.

Now, the tough job of backing him to the hilt and keeping him sweet starts.

You can be sure of one thing, if nothing else… the return of O’Neill will be a compulsive story.

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There are five Englishmen among the 55 nominations for the Fifa Fifpro World XI 2011.

What on earth is that?

Just another excuse for another all-expenses-paid jolly-up in Zurich, I ­presume.

For the record, the English contingent is comprised of John Terry, Frank ­Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole and, er, Rio Ferdinand.

I’m guessing they are the only five that whatever panel Fifa has assembled has heard of.

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If Stoke avoid defeat against Besiktas in Istanbul on Wednesday week, they will finish top of a Europa League group that also includes a decent Dynamo Kiev and established Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.

I love the way Tony Pulis, his players, the club and fans have embraced this maligned competition. They deserve far more credit than they are currently getting.

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This weekend, Manchester United under-12s are playing in a festival in Ypres against teams from Germany, France and Belgium.

Last night, they exchanged gifts to mark the First World War Christmas Truce.

The event was organised by the Premier League.

I thought it was worth mentioning ­because this kind of educational and ­cultural work, from an organisation which is more instantly associated with players’ millions and TV’s billions, tends to go ­unnoticed.

Why never should mean never for Capello staying on  

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