Sam hard but fair, says old pal Bruce

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has launched a passionate defence of Blackburn counterpart Sam Allardyce amid the ongoing debate over reckless tackling.

Bruce and Allardyce are close friends and while the Black Cats boss knows exactly what to expect when he sends his team into battle with Rovers, he insists his Blackburn counterpart’s reputation is unwarranted.

He said: “I think I speak for Sam and every other manager, none of us want to go and send a team out that will physically hurt anybody else, that is absolute nonsense. “This Premier League is the way it is and the biggest spectacle that is beamed around the world because of the competitive nature of it, and if we take that away, we will just end up like everybody else.”

Sunderland head across the Pennines having drawn with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United in their last three Premier League games, but knowing the degree of difficulty is unlikely to drop.

Bruce said: “We know what to expect. You all know I am a big friend of Sam and enjoy his company, and whenever you are up against his teams, you know physically if you don’t stand up and be counted against them, you will be caught short.”

Bruce added that Sunderland fans would expect nothing less from his side.

“If one of my players jumps out of a tackle here, he will have 40,000 people – rightly – on his back,” he said. “They want to see their team tackle and compete for the ball. That doesn’t mean to say they want these over-the-top tackles which are creeping in from these cowardly players we have got.

“But the ones who are genuinely trying to tackle and make a challenge for the ball, it is part and parcel of the game and part of the spectacle.”

Allardyce, however, is hoping his selling days could soon be behind him as two rival consortiums consider making bids to take over the Ewood Park club.

He did sound a note of warning, though, for any prospective buyers.

The chaos that has engulfed Liverpool has been a stark warning to anyone that they need to consider all possible consequences.

Allardyce said: “They have to make sure they know exactly what they are getting into, exactly what is needed and how the business is run.

“If it’s going to happen we hope it happens for the benefit of the club and for me as a manager so that we can get better, stronger and be more successful.”