The 48-year-old has more than served his apprenticeship in management at clubs where he did not necessarily have the financial clout to compete with the big boys.

He freely admits there is a chasm, both on and off the pitch, between the Barclays Premier League's perennial top four and the rest.

However, having taken Wigan to within touching distance of the top half of the table last season despite having to sell Emile Heskey and Wilson Palacios in January, he is thrilled at the chance to build a side with the backing of new owner Ellis Short's money and without the need to cash in on his most influential performers.

Bruce said: "With this club, they can manage to hold on to their players - at Wigan, I sold them the dream of using the club as a stepping stone.

"At this one, you have to be established, you have to have a bit about you to play here because of the demand, the expectation and the support, so you have to have a mentality, which I will obviously try to bring to the team."

That is exactly the ingredient chairman Niall Quinn identified as the missing link between near-disaster, the Black Cats stayed up last season by just two points, and potential success when he set about the process of looking for Ricky Sbragia's replacement.

The Scot stepped down as manager minutes after guiding the club to top-flight safety despite a 3-2 final day defeat by Chelsea, and in the aftermath, he and Quinn agreed they needed to add steel to their armoury.

In recruiting Bruce, the Irishman, who unveiled his man last night after handing him a three-year contract, is confident he will bring that quality to his team.

Indeed, Bruce wasted little time in outlining his philosophy.

He said: "I only ask for one thing. I will forgive a pass, I will forgive somebody who misses an open goal or misses a header.

"What I won't forgive is if they go out and they don't give everything they have got and play with a bit of pride and a little bit of passion and play for the jersey.

"The north-east epitomises that. They [the fans] will forgive. They want to see their team really roll their sleeves up and have a go.

"If I can provide a team, like I have done at Wigan - and to be fair, I think I did it at Birmingham as well - then the north-east and the Sunderland fans in particular will be absolutely delighted with that.

"That's my aim."

Bruce has already started the process of identifying potential transfer targets, and admitted they might include some of the men with whom he worked so successfully at Wigan.

Antonio Valencia, Paul Scharner, Titus Bramble and Lee Cattermole have already been linked with the Black Cats, while the manager is also understood to be an admirer of Cattermole's former Middlesbrough team-mate Matthew Bates, who is out of contract at the end of this month.

However, before he does anything, Bruce will resume the family holiday he interrupted earlier this week to fly to Dublin and then Wearside to tie up his return to his native north-east.

He said: "I am definitely, definitely - I have said to Niall and the owner - going away for a holiday, because I need one.

"It's been a long, tough season and I do believe you need that.

"It's four weeks away before we are back to work, so I will take two or three weeks off and come back ready for the challenge."

Meanwhile, Sunderland have confirmed they have been invited to take part in the prestigious Amsterdam tournament next month.

They will be joined by Dutch aristocrats Ajax, Spanish side Atletico Madrid and Portugal's Benfica at the Amsterdam Arena between July 24 and 26.