Sunderland have sacked manager Steve Bruce following a poor run of results in the English Premier League. "This has been a difficult time for everyone at Sunderland and is not a situation that any of us envisaged or expected to be in," Sunderland chairman Ellis Short told the club's website. "It is my job as chairman to act in the best interests of our football club at all times and I can assure everyone that this is not a decision that I have taken lightly. "Sadly results this season have simply not been good enough and I feel the time is right to make a change." Sunderland have been struggling under the management of Bruce this season, which saw them slip down to 16th place following a four-match winless streak. The Black Cats also suffered an embarrassing elimination from the second round of the Carling Cup after losing to Championship side Brighton. Bruce, who signed Egypt wing-back Ahmed Elmohamady from ENPPI, has been on the Sunderland bench since the summer of 2009.
