Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is hoping that his side can continue their recent run of impressive results against the Premier League’s top clubs.

The Black Cats defeated Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham on their own patch last season, and have already beaten Manchester City at the Stadium of Light this term.

Sunderland’s next outing is a lower-profile clash against Wigan at the DW Stadium on Saturday 11th September. Full Time Result betting has Wigan at (2.30), with Sunderland (2.87) and the draw (3.25).

However, after that trip they face successive league games against Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United where Bruce is hoping to continue their impressive record.

He said: “The fixtures are difficult, but that is the Premier League.

“Going into the end of the month, we know there is a run of fixtures – but we had them last year.

“We had a run of fixtures where we thought, ‘Oh, I don’t fancy that’, Liverpool and Arsenal at home back-to-back.

“But we beat them both – and went to Wigan, Birmingham and Burnley and lost.

“You can never call it, but certainly, the big teams brought out the best in us.”

Sunderland are 8.50 to be relegated from the Premier League 2010/11.

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Blackpool secured the signing of former Wycombe player Matt Phillips today and manager Ian Holloway reveals he had been tracking the winger for some time.

The 19-year-old has joined for an initial fee of £325,000, which could rise to around £700,000 with the Seasiders paying a further six-figure sum should they achieve Barclays Premier League survival this season.

“Matty has been on our radar for some time,” said Holloway.

“He did well in the European Under-19 tournament for England in the summer and has played almost 80 league games for Wycombe – which at 19 is a real achievement.

“I can’t wait for him to get involved in our system and to work with him on the training ground.”

Wycombe boss Gary Waddock was sad to see Phillips go but admitted the chance for the player was too good for the club to reject.

“It’s a great opportunity for Matty to play in the Premier League and we couldn’t stand in his way,” he said.

“He is an outstanding prospect and I’m sorry to lose him but it’s a great move for him and excellent business for the football club.”

Blackpool are currently 1.33 to be relegated from the Premier League this season.

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Birmingham striker Marcus Bent will join Barclays Premier League rivals Wolves on a four-month loan deal, the midland club has confirmed.

Bent, 32, will boost Wolves’ attacking options following the departure of Andy Keogh to npower Championship side Cardiff on a season-long deal.

“Marcus is an experienced striker who has played plenty of Premier League football and scored goals,” said Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey.

“People still talk about whether we’ve got enough Premier League experience, and Marcus will add to that.

“He’s also a different type of striker to what we have in that he’s a physical presence.

“We needed someone after the departure of Andy Keogh and Marcus can do a job for us.”

Bent is seemingly no longer a first choice striker at St Andrew’s following the arrivals of Nikola Zigic and Matt Derbyshire.

He spent parts of last season on loan at Middlesbrough and QPR.

Wolverhampton are currently 5.50 to be relegated from the Barclays Premier League 2010/11 while it’s 8.00 for Birmingham to finish in the bottom three.

Don’t forget, all Premier League matches are covered by the bet365 100% Euro Soccer Bonus, where you could earn a bonus of up to 100% on your returns on pre-match accumulator bets.

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Bob Bradley has all but ended speculation that he may take the Aston Villa job after signing an extension to his contract as national team coach of the United States.

The 52-year-old has agreed a new deal which runs until the end of 2014 after reports circulated that Villa’s American owner Randy Lerner could be prepared to offer him the chance to manage in the Barclays Premier League.

A statement on ussoccer.com read: “US Soccer has agreed to a contract extension with US men’s national team head coach Bob Bradley.

“The agreement with Bradley, who guided the US team to numerous achievements including finishing in first place in their group at the 2010 FIFA World Cup for the first time in 80 years, will keep him at the helm through the end of 2014.”

Just over a week ago Bradley told BBC Radio Five Live: “I’d be honoured to have a conversation with Randy Lerner.

“I’ve had no contact with him. There have been talks with my representatives to find out the situation.”

Bradley has moved out to 1001.00 in the Aston Villa Next Permanent Manager market, caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald is now 2.10 with Sven Goran Eriksson available at 6.00.

MacDonald recently revealed he would let Villa owner Randy Lerner know by today if he wants to be considered for the job on a permanent basis.

Aston Villa are currently 11.00 to secure a top four finish in the Premier League this season.

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West Ham manager Avram Grant insists there is no need to panic about their slow start to the season unless they fail to improve after “10-15 games”.

The Hammers sit bottom of the Barclays Premier League going into the international break having lost their opening three matches.

They are now 2.62 to be relegated this season, with Blackpool still strong favourites for the drop at 1.33.

West Ham have never lost their first four league games but they next face Chelsea, who have made a perfect start to the new campaign.

However, Upton Park boss Grant is adamant even defeat to the champions would not spell disaster for his side.

“It’s only the beginning of the season, so we cannot make any conclusions after three weeks,” he told his club’s official website, www.whufc.com.

“We must wait for 10-15 games to see our direction.”

He added: “Chelsea is a tough fixture and I can’t ever remember a team at our level having such tough fixtures at the beginning of the season.

“But these are fixtures we have been given and, in football, anything can happen. We have two weeks to think about things. We can become stronger.”

Grant admits it has been a real challenge to instil confidence in his side since taking charge this summer after they only narrowly avoided relegation last term.

But he insists it is an easier job than the one he left at Portsmouth, who were mired in financial turmoil.

He said: “It’s not easy to keep the morale up – especially after last season – but I don’t like talking about last year because we do not need to be reminded about it.

“It’s not easy but I’ve told the players from the beginning that I want to see their character, both when they win and when they lose. It’s only the beginning of the season, and if we win two games, we will be as good as any other team.

“Last season, things were decided for me off the pitch but, this year, they will be decided on the pitch. It’s a big, big difference.”

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