Steve Bruce can always rely on his backroom staff to give him an honest assessment of any given situation, according to reserve team coach Keith Bertschin.

Reserve team coach Bertschin moved north from Wigan in the summer, following Bruce to the Stadium of Light along with a number of other members of staff, including assistant manager Eric Black and goalkeeping coach Nigel Spink.

The new backroom team have settled well in the north east, with frank behind-the-scenes chats key to their strategy for success.

"Already knowing each other from clubs in the past has definitely helped us," Bertschin said. "Steve feels we are all trustworthy and he knows that we'll tell him the bad news as well as the good news.

"We're always trying to make him aware. There's not always loads to talk about, but we will always be honest with him when we need to be and he appreciates that.

"The trust is there and Steve can go away knowing people at the football club are looking after things for him. That's part of being a team.

"Steve has a lot to do and we try and cover it for him when he can't be in two places at once."

In addition to coaching the club's reserve side, Bruce has also employed Bertschin as his 'eye in the sky' on a matchday, giving him a new perspective on events from the directors' box.

It's a role Bertschin enjoys as he keeps in constant contact with the bench as situations unfold - just another example of Bruce's no-stone-unturned approach to preparation.

"One of the advantages of having a scouting network is that I don't have to go out and cover games, so I can get to our home games and help out.

"I view the game from high in the stand. If I see things I'll get a message down to the manager or Eric Black to make them aware of something.

"They might already be aware of and have seen the situation, but individual and collective problems can stand out when viewed from higher up.

"Sitting up high makes a fantastic difference - it's almost a different sport. Down low it's more congested and there's a real feel for the pace of the game, but from where I sit it looks like Subbuteo football!"