Sunderland boss Steve Bruce believes Titus Bramble has silenced his critics during his brief time on Wearside.

Bruce raised eyebrows when he returned to former club Wigan Athletic to sign the error-prone defender during the summer.

He paid £1million for the former Newcastle United centre-half but has been impressed by his performances for the Black Cats.

Bramble was named man of the match in Monday's goalless draw with Blackburn Rovers.

"There were a lot of things said and written about Titus which I thought were unjust," Bruce told the club's official website.

"I hope the people who had those opinions and voiced them will take them back and say fair play to him.

"As I said at the time, Titus wanted to come back and play and the way he's playing at the moment is how he played for me for 18 months at Wigan.

"I'm delighted because he has matured. If there's any centre back in the Premier League playing better at the moment I've yet to see him and that's the biggest compliment I can pay him."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email