STEVE BRUCE FAVOURITE TO BE NEXT SUNDERLAND MANAGER

With the 2009 Premier League season having just wrapped up this past weekend, we saw the Black Cats stay up thanks to tepid displays from Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Now that Ricky Sbraiga has resigned his position with Sunderland, Niall Quinn has been on the lookout for their next manager. Betfair already has a market out and it's got plenty of different candidates here, but there seems to be only one that's worth putting money on. Currently, Steve Bruce is listed at around 1.67 to be named next Sunderland manager. Former Celtic boss Gordan Strachan is the next best-priced candidate with a price of 6.2. Other notables include Alan Curbishley at 20.0, Sven Goran Eriksson at 19.5, Steve McClaren at 18.0 and Slaven Bilic at 30.0. I guess if you're looking for a solid outside bet, why not have a bash on Juande Ramos or Avram Grant? Grant is currently jobless and showed plenty of acumen at Chelsea. The Israeli is carrying a price of 75.0 and Juande Ramos, fresh from a mediocre season at Real Madrid, commands a 200.0 price. I think that the Sunderland job is a big task for next year. Niall Quinn and his crew have put an awful lot of money and work into the club and they are starting to become an established Premier League side in the mould of Wigan. I think that they'll need a mid-table finish this coming season before they can cement their place in the top-flight. Mid-table obscurity is the goal for next season and I think that Steve Bruce is the one to do it.