Jones welcomes the prospect of Peter Crouch's arrival on Wearside

Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones has praised the club's handling of Steve Bruce's appointment as manager ahead of the forthcoming Premier League season.

The Wearsiders moved quickly to bring in Bruce and Jones believes his arrival has brought stability to the Stadium of Light at a crucial time for the club.

"It's nice to see we got it settled quickly in pre-season and running smoothly," he told BBC Newcastle.

"The process of getting players in and training is quite stable right now."

Former Wigan boss Bruce has been busy putting together his squad in preparation for the 15 August kick-off, when they travel to Bolton Wanderers.

Among the new arrivals is former Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell for £3.5m, and with Peter Crouch on Wearside for talks, Jones could face competition up front.

But the Trinidadian remained unruffled by the prospect of battling for his place next season and has welcomed the arrival of international-quality players.

"A bid for anyone puts pressure on people but that's the nature of football," he said.

"The most you can do is do your best, work on your football and leave the rest up to the manager, so if that does happen then we will be a strong team.

Meanwhile Sunderland confirmed on Thursday that reserve-team coach Neil Bailey has left the club.

Manager Steve Bruce has brought a number of new staff with him to the Stadium of Light since his arrival, including Eric Black, Nigel Spink and Keith Bertschin.

Chairman Niall Quinn said: "I would like to personally thank Neil for the fantastic job he has done during his time at the club.

"As well as steering the reserves to a league title he stepped in to assist with first-team duties under Ricky Sbragia and gave us vital support when the club needed it most.

"I'm sure there will be a huge demand for his experience within the football world and he departs with my very best wishes."

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