Sunderland boss Steve Bruce knows he's under huge pressure to keep his job.

Bruce admits Sunderland can ill-afford to slip up against a Stoke City side who have made a strong start to the season.

He said: "We need to get a result. At the moment I'm the whipping boy, a few weeks ago it was Arsene Wenger.

"There will be a lot of managers saying, 'Thank God it's him, it's taking the heat off myself'."

 Click here to reach the No1 destination for hard news and exciting gossip on Sunderland