The FA are £2,500 better off after fining Sunderland boss Steve Bruce for improper conduct following his blazing assessment of referee Andre Marriner’s performance in the loss to Manchester City.

 

The Black Cats manager was scathing about the official with whom he had a previous encounter. Bruce described the referee’s decision to send off Michael Turner as ’obscene’ and ’an outrage’ and indicated that Marriner was reacting to a previous complaint made about him by Bruce following a game against West Ham. The FA said "At an independent regulatory commission hearing, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce was fined for improper conduct. The commission took into consideration Bruce's admission of the charge and his previous exemplary record in relation to media comments."

Midfielder Lee Cattermole has been called up to the England U21 squad to face Greece. The former Middlesbrough and Wigan player has previously captained Stuart Pearce’s side but has been missing through injury. David Healy and Craig Gordon have also been called up to their respective full international squads.

Kieran Richardson has admitted that Sunderland will have to fight to retain their Premier League status, especially after their recent injury crisis. “The more players the manager gets back the better because we certainly need to pull some performances out of the bag now," the former Manchester United player. "The injuries we've had have been unbelievable, but these are the cards we've been dealt and we have to get on with it.”