David Cuffley Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has paid tribute to Norwich City fans - and is hoping the club can give them the success they deserve. The man who helped bring the Milk Cup to Carrow Road 24 years ago watched his new side end the Canaries' interest in this season's competition, but believes their support warrants better than League One football.

David Cuffley

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has paid tribute to Norwich City fans - and is hoping the club can give them the success they deserve.

The man who helped bring the Milk Cup to Carrow Road 24 years ago watched his new side end the Canaries' interest in this season's competition, but believes their support warrants better than League One football.

He said: "It's incredible when I see the crowd today and when I see the season ticket-holders they have.

"It's a backwater of a place and difficult to get to, but it means so much to the city that they have a football team that's doing well and I really hope they get their act together and start climbing through the tables and making sure they get back to where they want to be."

Bruce, who has criticised the sacking of former manager Bryan Gunn, insists Paul Lambert must be given time to bring back the good days.

He said: "It's been an extraordinary start and it's baffled me really, and saddened me in a way, too. Sometimes at a club you need stability and over the last few years in particular Norwich seems to have gone from one to the other and once you have that effect it's a downward spiral.

"I hope they can bounce back and I hope they can give Lambert a chance, and give him a bit of time, because if you keep having changes at the top then it always filters through and causes problems.

"It's sad because this club gave me my chance to play. I'd played in the lower divisions for years and this club gave me my chance and obviously I want to see it do well."

Bruce paid tribute to Andy Reid, who scored twice in Sunderland's 4-1 win.

He said: "I don't think any one of us has doubted his ability. The one thing we have had to level at him over the years is his physical condition. I think he's now lost nine kilos and 22 millimetres of body fat, which has taken him down to what you see today."

Bruce said striker Fraizer Campbell was "sore" but not seriously injured after hurting his arm in the collision that left City 'keeper Ben Alnwick with a badly gashed face.

He said: "I thought to start with it was one of those seriously sickening ones. It was one of those horrible ones. If it's just a cut, he'll survive, that's for sure."