Sunderland manager Wigan has been sacked after Saturday 's two -1 defeat by Wigan . Ellis told the official Sunderland website : `` This has been a difficult time for everyone at Sunderland and is not a situation that any of us envisaged or expected to be in . ` That defeat left Sunderland 16th in the Premier League , just 2 points above the drop zone . Steve Bruce is the first manager to lose his job in the English Premier League Saturday .
Sunderland manager Wigan has been sacked after Saturday 's two -1 defeat by Wigan . That defeat left Sunderland 16th in the Premier League , just 2 points above the drop zone . Steve Bruce is the first manager to lose his job in the English Premier League Saturday .