Sunderland fans need to be patient with Bruce and his team. And that's for sure...

By Simon Bird

Published 14:21 08/02/10

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Steve Bruce has a habit of ending many sentences with the words: “That’s for sure.” It happened nine times in one interview recently.

The irony is that precious little is “for sure" right now at Sunderland. Sure-footed defending. No. Sure about his best XI? No. Sure £30 million has been well spent? No. Sure about avoiding relegation? Certainly not.

Bruce took the job last May well aware that it was his biggest challenge yet. A big club, with money to spend, expectations to fulfil, fans to satisfy and a billionaire owner demanding to be convinced that his £50million investment is a sound one.

But Bruce is also discovering he’s not just on a mission to transform Sunderland’s team. He’s got to alter the psychology of the Wearside fan base as part of his journey.

The Stadium of Light can be the most intimidating, boisterous and life affirming stadium in the region when packed with fans witnessing a club with momentum. Such joyful times have been fleeting. Roy Keane had it for a few months. Peter Reid certainly during the two seventh placed finish seasons. Indeed, Bruce himself had it until November.

Players feed off the energy, the deafening noise and the passion.

But in the space of a few weeks, certainly during Sunderland’s current 11 game winless run in the league, it just as quickly turns into an eerie, haunted, fractious place.

An atmosphere that sucks the life, the confidence, the belief out of fragile players.

A debate is being had at the Stadium of Light over whether the home crowd are right to express their pent up frustrations during a game in the form of booing and ranting.

Against Wigan there were boos at misplaced passes, boos (quite right too) at George McCartney inexplicable inability to take a throw-in, boos at half-time. Boos at full-time, despite a spirited fight-back in the second half.

At times it felt the same as the dying days of Peter Reid’s reign, or the end (or beginning for that matter) of Howard Wilkinson, and the toil of Mick McCarthy’s record Premier League points low.

There is a good reason to explain why many (not all) of Sunderland’s home supporters turn sour. History has been cruel. Failure and let down has become ingrained in the psyche.

Hope is built up that a breakthrough is on the horizon, only to be dashed. Reid's side went from European contenders to one that was relegated. Wilkinson’s reign was a disaster. McCarthy worked wonders to get promotion with cut-price buys, but that new dawn ended in abject Premier League failure.

Quinn’s takeover and Keane’s arrival heralded an optimistic new dawn. The disillusioned were brought back in. Then let down again when Keane hit trouble and quit. No matter what the inflated hope, this remains a yo-yo club who have yet to finish comfortably away from the relegation zone in the Premier League.

Hope is a dangerous thing for a football fan. When expectation turns to disappointment so frequently, a crowd can grow cynical, disillusioned and bitter. Negativity and blame easily seeps from the terraces to the pitch.

I asked Bruce about this at the weekend and he is facing the problem head on. He is certainly not shirking the responsibility he and his players have for turning it around.

He replied: “Whoever comes in and has this job, the one thing they’re going to have is the big expectant demand of the supporters. The team and the manager have got to be able to handle that, that’s for sure.

“To be able to play here, you’ve got to be a big player, that’s for sure. That’s not going to change. We need big players to handle the occasion.

“I don’t like the stick, believe me, but I’m under no illusions. I knew what I was taking on, I knew it was difficult. There’s been many tried before me, right, and it’s a big, difficult job, but one I’m still relishing the challenge of. That remains the case now, even though we’ve been on a terrible run. I’m convinced we’ll turn it around, I’m convinced we’ll make it better and we’ll be okay.”

No fan can be criticised for booing. They have paid their cash, and we live in an
X Factor inspired society when everyone is asked to pass instant judgements.

But the wisest Sunderland supporters surely realise they are on a journey with Bruce. The relationship between fan and team is also mutually dependent. They feed off each other. Depend on each other to inspire.

And like in any relationship, rocky patches can be negotiated with a bit of understanding and unconditional love. And that’s for sure.

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