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Bruce set to stay
Sunderland, 13:30, March 2, 2010 ,
Steve Bruce has the full support of Sunderland officials and will stay in charge even if the club are relegated, reports claim.
Sunday's 0-0 draw against Fulham at the Stadium of Light means the Black Cats have now gone 14 Premier League games without a win and the pressure is really starting to mount on Bruce.
They may be involved in a relegation battle but a source close to the club says the Black Cats will keep faith with Bruce even if the worst happens and the club are relegated.
"As long as Niall Quinn remains chairman, Steve Bruce's job is very, very secure," the source told The Daily Telegraph. "The deal with [club owner] Ellis Short when Niall brought Steve to Sunderland last summer was that if they keep chopping and changing managers every five minutes they could end up where the likes of Leeds are now.
"Even if, God forbid, the club was relegated there is a plan in place for Steve to get the club back up to the Premier League like he did at Birmingham. There will be a budget for the Premier League and a contingency plan for the Championship.
"Niall will want to see this through and is determined to get this right but there is no way he will be knocked off course by one bad run of results."