The thought of a manager being under pressure after just two games of a new season is, quite frankly, farcical. The thought of Steve Bruce being that manager after two years of steady improvement at Sunderland is, quite simply, ludicrous.
Then again, who would have thought the mighty Arsene Wenger would be starting a new campaign swatting away questions about his future at Arsenal while a slither of the club’s support begin to call for his removal.
Football is a ruthless, ridiculous business and football managers are normally its biggest and most frequent victims.
Bruce’s crime amounts to little more than a derby defeat to Newcastle, a one off game which can turn even the most level-headed into raging madmen; a game Sunderland were widely tipped to win given the two club’s contrasting fortunes over the summer months.
Newcastle’s recruitment strategy has been widely criticised and questioned, Sunderland’s was seen as bold and ambitious. Newcastle were thought to have got weaker because of the loss of key players and the relative unknown quantity of their replacements.
Sunderland, it was thought, were stronger because Bruce was allowed to reinvest in the team, not merely balance the books.
Thrashed 5-1 at St James’ Park last season and fortunate to escape with a draw in a game the Magpies dominated at the Stadium of Light, last weekend’s clash between the North-East’s ever warring neighbours was perceived by Sunderland’s supporters and players as an ideal opportunity to put the record straight.
Instead, Newcastle survived a difficult first half, scored from a Ryan Taylor set-piece in the second and made the short journey back to Tyneside with another derby win to celebrate. It was a crushing experience for those in red and white.
Bruce’s new look side looked worryingly familiar to the one which tended to run out of ideas towards the back end of last season and the knives, if not exactly out, are at least being reached for.
It is dangerous and short-sighted. So Sunderland lost to their bitter rivals on home soil. It was painful and embarrassing, but it is ultimately just one game in a very long season.
Under Bruce, Sunderland have progressed and improved. The calibre of player signed this summer would have been unthinkable when the former Manchester United skipper arrived just over two years ago.
This must not be forgotten, particularly when Sunderland started the season with a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield, who beat Arsenal at the Emirates at the same time as the Black Cats were losing to Newcastle.
The problem with derbies as intense and as hostile as the North East one is they mean everything at the time, but little in the grand scheme of things.
Sunderland’s record in these regional battles for supremacy is abysmal. One win in 14, one win at home in 30 odd years. Yet, they have finished above Newcastle three years running.
There is a section of the Sunderland supporters who will simply never accept Bruce because he was raised a Newcastle fan. They will always look to pounce on any failing.
Sadly, it is that bunch which will be heard loudest at the moment, metaphorically shouting on internet message boards, ranting on Twitter, bending the ear of radio pundits, whipping the media into a frenzy, turning a solitary defeat into a disaster. It’s the same at every club.
Had Newcastle lost to Sunderland, the mood would have turned ugly on Tyneside. A frustrating summer in the transfer market would have been replaced by anger and animosity at the thought of a troubled season ahead.
But they won and manager Alan Pardew has some breathing space as he looks to sign the two players, a left-back and a striker, everyone knows he needs before the close of the window. It was a great result for him, a terrible one for Bruce.
Sunderland must pick themselves up and dust themselves down. They responded to the 5-1 defeat last season by beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. A victory over Brighton in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night would be a start this time. Two early cup exits last season were arguably far more damaging and disappointing for Bruce and Sunderland’s board than those derby results.
Bruce has tried to do a lot this summer and has perhaps done a little too much in terms of the number brought in. With ten new players, the team needs time to gel, time the derby defeat has taken away to a certain extent.
The squad has more depth, but it seems to lack a goalscoring threat at the moment, while the lack of pace out wide is a concern.
Sunderland fans will be tetchy and emotional after the defeat to Newcastle, calm and a sense of collective purpose needs to be restored. The derby blow was a devastating one and it has undoubtedly wounded Bruce again, but it was not a mortal strike.
It has made the next few weeks tough for manager and players, but there is no sense in panic or attacking Bruce. He has damage to repair and the sooner the better, but a sense of perspective must be maintained even while their old enemy gloats, goads and grins.
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