Source: Team_Talk
Bruce: Black Cats need good start
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is confident his side can put a "terrible" pre-season behind them as they begin their quest for a top-10 place.[LNB] Bruce has seen injuries and the World Cup disrupt his plans while the Black Cats have been one of the busier clubs in the transfer market, with eight players in and seven out.[LNB]He said: "There's always a feelgood factor at the start of the season. It's been a difficult pre-season with the World Cup, with injuries and transfers and all the rest of it.[LNB]"But there's nothing quite like the first game of the season and, even though we've had a terrible July and August, they'll be hot and we'll look forward to the challenge again."[LNB]Sunderland had a mixed campaign last season, with a good start followed by a poor run either side of Christmas that meant they could only finish 13th.[LNB]Bruce is confident they can do better this time around but his expectations are tempered by the financial clout of teams higher up the Premier League.[LNB]"I think we could all sit here now and predict the top eight," he said. "The rest of us have got to see if we can try and get in there if we possibly can or be competing for the top spot in our league, so to speak.[LNB]"You need a bit of luck. You need your big players to stay fit - we didn't have that at an important time last season, and that's huge.[LNB]"I think we've improved the squad, the squad has a younger feel about it, but we need to hit the ground running, which is not easy. Throughout last season we were competing for the top 10 but we didn't make it. That's got to be the aim."[LNB]Injuries have taken their toll already, with star striker Darren Bent only 50/50 to overcome a back injury while midfielder Andy Reid is definitely out with an Achilles problem.[LNB]But the biggest blow has been the broken arm suffered by first-choice keeper Craig Gordon, his second such injury in eight months.[LNB]That means 22-year-old Belgian Simon Mignolet will be entrusted with the shirt for the estimated six games Gordon will miss, which Bruce admits is something of a gamble.[LNB]"Craig was the biggest disappointment of the summer for me," he said. "We were advised to take the plate out of his arm and then he takes it out, trains two weeks later and breaks the original fracture site.[LNB]"That is horrific for us and, with letting (Marton) Fulop go (to Ipswich), it causes a concern. Simon has had a wonderful pre-season but he's a boy.[LNB]"However, we think he can handle it. It's not ideal but he'll be relishing the situation. I don't think he's got any fear, he's a confident lad and he wants to play, so we'll give him his chance."[LNB]Birmingham were the surprise package of last season's Premier League, going on a run of 12 games unbeaten and eventually finishing ninth.[LNB]Bruce hailed the job done by manager Alex McLeish and is expecting the Blues to be just as tough this time around.[LNB]He added: "They had a wonderful defensive record so I expect them to be very difficult to beat. They're no nonsense, which is typical of Alex.[LNB]"They had a wonderful season last year and Alex will be thinking, 'can we go and repeat it?', which is always the hardest thing in the Premier League."[LNB]If Bent is not fit, Bruce must decide between Frazier Campbell, youngster Martyn Waghorn and Danny Welbeck, who arrived on loan from Manchester United on Thursday, up front.[LNB]Bruce confirmed he is still looking to sign another striker after letting Kenwyne Jones join Stoke for £8million, with Ghana star Asamoah Gyan thought to be in the frame.[LNB]There are plenty of other new signings pushing for debuts, including John Mensah, Nedum Onuoha, Titus Bramble, Marcos Angeleri, Paulo da Silva and Cristian Riveros, who was due on Wearside on Thursday for the first time since joining the club in May.[LNB]Meanwhile, George McCartney and Anton Ferdinand have not been given squad numbers, with the latter reported to be interesting Italian club Palermo.
