Bruce still Bent out of shape as Black Cats continue slide

STEVE BRUCE will not indulge in recriminations over the decision to sell Darren Bent in the January transfer window.

Finger-pointing and calling on hindsight is of little use to him now, but the undeniable argument is Sunderland’s fat £24m (€27m) cheque for the England striker might be generating hefty interest, but it will be little use to Niall Quinn and the club’s owners in the Championship.

A couple of months ago, Sunderland were talking about possibly squeezing into the Europa League. Since Bent walked away to join Aston Villa, they have scored nine goals in 10 games and lost eight of them.