AFTER two-and-a-half years in charge, a poor start to this season and inconsistent results, Steve Bruce paid the price for a lack of progress.

Sunderland were languishing two points above the relegation zone after 13 games and most of the club's supporters had already made up their mind it was time for a change.

With those factors in mind, it is difficult to argue against the timing, even though he had secured 13th and tenth place in his first couple of seasons.

But to suggest the squad has not developed since taking over in June 2009 would be wrong.

Bruce inherited a squad bulging with players like David Healy, Daryl Murphy, Greg Halford and Carlos Edwards. For further examples, read Nick Colgan, Anthony Stokes, Paul McShane, Roy O'Donovan and Liam Miller.

In the last match that Sunderland played under Ricky Sbragia, only Phil Bardsley and Kieran Richardson were still around to figure in Bruce's final game on November 26, 2011.

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RICKY SBRAGIA'S LAST GAME IN CHARGE

Sunderland 2 v 3 Chelsea
(May 24, 2009)
Fulop; Bardsley, Davenport, Ferdinand, Collins; Malbranque, Whitehead, Tainio, Leadbitter, Richardson; Jones. Subs: Healy, Reid, Cisse, Murphy, McShane, Colgan (gk), Edwards.

STEVE BRUCE'S LAST GAME IN CHARGE

Sunderland 1 Wigan Athletic 2
(November 26, 2011)
Westwood; O'Shea, Turner, Brown, Bardsley; Larsson, Cattermole, Colback, Sessegnon; Richardson; Bendtner. Subs: Meyler, Gardner, Ji, Vaughan, Elmohamady, Carson (gk), McClean.

And the squad which Bardsley and Richardson find themselves in now may not be as big, but it undoubtedly possesses greater quality.

Keiren Westwood, Simon Mignolet or Craig Gordon are all better goalkeepers than Marton Fulop, while defensively Sunderland's new unit is much stronger now following the arrivals of Wes Brown and John O'Shea.

And in Seb Larsson, Lee Cattermole, Craig Gardner and David Vaughan, they have a midfield that lacks a recognised left-winger, which has forced Bruce to turn to Stephane Sessegnon in recent weeks.

But it is up front where Bruce has come up short and he will be wishing things had turned out differently for him in that department.

After selling Kenwyne Jones to Stoke City, it was about Darren Bent, who is now at Aston Villa. Then it was all about Asamoah Gyan, who headed out to Al-Ain.

Only Bruce and Ellis Short will truly know whose decision it was to cash in on Bent and Gyan - who were unsettled - but, it seems, those two big departures paved the way for a third: Bruce.

In Connor Wickham and Ji Dong-Won, Sunderland have two young strikers with plenty of potential but it is unclear just how potent they will turn out to be.

And in Nicklas Bendtner, who is only on loan, they have a talent worthy of the Champions League, although again it is not necessarily a glut of goals that he will bring to a team.

So that leaves Sunderland with Fraizer Campbell. The only problem is that he hasn't kicked a ball since August last year and he is still weeks away from recovery. Will he ever return to the form he showed prior to his serious injuries?

If there is one thing Bruce will regret, it is the decisions to offload Bent and Gyan without having the goalscorers in to replace them.

With Bruce gone, it will be hoped Ellis Short and Niall Quinn have learned from the mistakes of the past.

In rushing in to boosting the bank balance by moving on Jones, Bent and Gyan, it is worth remembering that strikers can turn a good team in to a great one.