Staunton joins Black Cats

Former Liverpool and Aston Villa defender Steve Staunton has joined Steve Bruce's backroom staff at Sunderland.

Former Republic boss appointed match assessor

Former Liverpool and Aston Villa defender Steve Staunton has joined Steve Bruce's backroom staff at Sunderland. The 42-year-old, who has had managerial spells at Darlington and the Republic of Ireland since retiring in 2005, will become the Black Cats' match assessor. In the role Staunton will be required to produce detailed reports of the club's upcoming opponents. Sunderland boss Bruce was delighted with the appointment of Staunton, who made nearly 600 appearances during his career, 102 of those for the Republic of Ireland. "We are looking to Steve to bring a high level of expertise based on his long experience of football at the top level," Bruce told the club's official website. "He joins a very experienced backroom team here at Sunderland and I'm sure he will be a great acquisition for us."