Despite Newcastle's period of dominance over the Black Cats for most of the 2000s, Sunderland fans had one consistent retort to fall back upon: Titus Bramble was absolutely awful. The comedy continued even after he left for Wigan, as the bumbling centre back somehow managed to score an equaliser against his old club to the delight of mackems everywhere. Two years later, however, the unthinkable happened. New boss Steve Bruce brought Bramble with him to the North East and even had the nerve to put him in the first team. Three incredibly shaky seasons followed for Sunderland's back line, with Bramble doing everything to undo the hard work of Bruce's comparatively impressive strike force. He was mercifully released by Paolo Di Canio, failing trials at West Ham and Ipswich, and is yet to play professional football since.
