Blip was always going to arrive

Jan 3 2010 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

STEVE BRUCE insists Sunderland's flying start to their Premier League campaign was unsustainable - and the Black Cats' mid-season slump was only to be expected.

The Wearsiders took 16 points from their first nine games and were in joint-sixth place, but since then have collected just seven points from 11 games and have dropped to 10th in the table.

But back-to-back draws against Everton and Blackburn over Christmas have given Bruce hope that his side are on the up again.

“It was asking a bit much to take over a side that had come close to relegation for two years in a row and turn them round in the space of a couple of summer months,” said Bruce.

“We had a great start, which is always nice – it helps everybody – but I was always a little bit cautious.

“The Premier League is a tough environment and if people thought our season would carry on at the rate it started over those first nine games, they were mistaken.

“There was always going to come a time where things dipped, but hopefully the signs are there now that we are coming out of it.

“We’ve been a bit up and down over the first six months.

“My aim is to smooth out the ups and downs, and get us on a level course.”