Hull City boss Steve Bruce admits his treatment by Sunderland fans was difficult to take.

Bruce admits his Geordie roots worked against him on Wearside.

The former Black Cats chief, now in charge at Division One Hull City, told Result: "I think people were influenced by the crowd.

"The Geordie thing came into play, make no mistake. When you were doing okay, everything was okay. Then all of a sudden, I'm a 'Horrible Geordie b*****d'.

"A minority in the crowd then manifests itself into hatred all around the stadium. It was vile."