? England manager said Darren Bent improved since Villa move
? 'Capello not been here for months and that causes a problem'
Steve Bruce has accused Fabio Capello of being "hugely disrespectful" after the England coach claimed that Darren Bent's international prospects have been enhanced by the striker's �24m move from Sunderland to Aston Villa.
With G�rard Houllier's side below Bruce's in the Premier League, Capello's words were puzzling but the Italian, who has not attended a game at the Stadium of Light for 18 months, apparently based his reasoning on a perception that Sunderland play a long-ball game.
"I overlooked Bent for the World Cup because he was not as good as he is at the moment," Capello said. "I have been twice to see Aston Villa and they are playing completely differently to Sunderland. For Sunderland it was important for them to go straight for the goal. Before Bent was only playing for the box, now he is a player who can play for the team."
Bruce, whose side are contending for a European place, looked suitably mystified. "That's a frustration to us all and it's hugely disrespectful," the Sunderland manager said. "Mr Capello has not been here for months and that causes a problem because he probably only sees us away from home.
"As far as accusations that we are too direct are concerned, we were certainly not too direct at Stoke last week, nor were we at home to Chelsea the previous Tuesday. I find that difficult to understand, I really do. I find that a harsh statement."
After scoring in England's 2-1 friendly win against Denmark on Wednesday, Bent repeated Capello's message. "Fabio has said that going to Aston Villa has helped my international chances," the striker said.
His former manager was unimpressed. "When I signed Darren he was languishing in Spurs reserves, he was nowhere near the England squad but he had a wonderful season last year, scoring 24 goals," Bruce said. "Now, all of a sudden, because he has played two games for Villa, they are saying he is a new player. I can't quite go along with that.
"I did not ask Darren to hold back and just stay around the box. How can you ask a player to do that in today's game? Mr Capello is entitled to his opinions but I can't quite understand that. The Darren Bent situation is over as far as we're concerned, though; let him get on with his career and see where he ends up."
Although Bruce suspects the England coach's views might be very different if he visited Wearside more frequently, he accepts the travel logistics are daunting. "We are at the right end of the table, challenging for Europe, but the big problem is geography. It's a long way up here and a long way back," Bruce said. "If Mr Capello flies to the north-east on a Saturday he can only see one game rather than two or three. It's much easier to go to London or Manchester. International managers tend to watch us away; that makes things difficult for our players."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/feb/11/steve-bruce-fabio-capello-darren-bent
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