The Wearsiders have enjoyed an excellent first half of the season and go into the busy festive period in sixth spot. Sunderland have the most clean sheets in the Premier League and have only lost three games to make them serious contenders for a top-six finish. Bruce has moved to dampen expectations at the Stadium of Light, but admits leading the club into Europe would be one of his greatest achievements. "My aim hasn't changed: I just want to make us an established Premier League team, and we are gathering momentum very nicely," Bruce told the Daily Mirror. "Expectations can rise quickly in these parts and I've got to keep everyone grounded if I can. "Look at last year, for example. We had a horrendous Christmas. We were riding high and everyone was getting ahead of themselves and then we didn't win a game for three months! "If we can do it (get to Europe) it will rank up there, I would have thought. It's the aim for everybody. It would be fantastic if we could get there, but the one thing I'm wary of coming back here is even mentioning it. "We had a fantastic spell last year and then fell apart. I think we're stronger in depth, but if we got there it would be up there with anything I've done. I'd have taken sixth place at the halfway stage before the start of the season. "We do have a stronger squad now. We couldn't have coped with losing our two first-choice central defenders last season, but we have done this time around. The one area where we have invested in is defence and that has helped us. We have a better nucleus of players this time around. "The owner backed me, and Roy (Keane) before me, and we have the nucleus I would say of Sunderland's best squad."
