Hull City manager Steve Bruce has declared that his time in charge of Sunderland was "probably a mistake" as he prepares to face his former club this afternoon.
Bruce took the Sunderland job in 2009, despite growing up as a supporter of arch-rivals Newcastle United.
After spending just over two years in charge at the Stadium of Light the Tigers boss has conceded that he should have given more thought to the reaction of Sunderland fans to his tenure, but still believes that he deserved more time in charge of the Mackems.
He told the Daily Star: "When I went to Sunderland under Niall Quinn, he never had says any doubts the Geordie thing would come back at me. But, then again, Niall never looks at the other side of things. He's always positive.
"Looking back, it was probably a mistake because, in some people's eyes there, I could never win. As soon as it became a little bit fractious, of course, that came out.
"I have to say, I wouldn't want any manager to go through what I went through that day [in his final game in charge. That will stay with me for a long time, the hatred on some people's faces was ridiculous. The biggest disappointment was getting sacked 11 or 12 games into the season. I thought I'd maybe get a bit more time than that."
The 52-year-old has since led Hull back into the Premier League, creating this afternoon's reunion with Sunderland at the KC Stadium.
Liam Power
