Bruce felt when he saw the fixture list for the new campaign the Black Cats could make a good start, which they did with five wins and a more than creditable draw at Manchester United in their opening nine Barclays Premier League outings.

However, he was equally aware things would get tougher last month, which saw their heroics at Old Trafford and a win over Liverpool followed by defeat at Birmingham City and a Carling Cup exit at the hands of Aston Villa.

With West Ham United having left the Stadium of Light with a point and Tottenham Hotspur having claimed all three at White Hart Lane on Saturday, the Wearsiders are without a win in four attempts in all competitions as injuries and suspensions bite hard.

Bruce said: "We have had a batch of really tough games and it's interesting that there hasn't been much fuss made about that.

"When the new fixture list was first released in the summer, I think everyone agreed that the way the games had come out, that we had every chance of making a solid start.

"I think Chelsea were the only top four side we faced in the first half-dozen games.

"But after that, there has been a lot tougher set of games which, thankfully, we are coming towards the end of now.

"In the last half-dozen games, we have had to face Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur - and we have got Arsenal on the horizon for our next game.

"We have also had a really demanding game against Aston Villa in the cup. We have had to face a lot of top sides."

Bruce signed a number of players in the summer, with the likes of Darren Bent, Lorik Cana and Lee Cattermole fitting into the team seamlessly.

Kenwyne Jones and Michael Turner will miss the next match against Arsenal through suspension, while Cattermole is still injured.

The Gunners drew 1-1 at the Stadium of Light last season after a late equaliser from Cesc Fabregas.