Bruce was let off £200,000 payment says sore Sullivan

Bruce avoided a boardroom encounter after his Wigan side beat Birmingham 2-0 at the JJB Stadium on Saturday, but in an exclusive Sportsmail interview had accused Sullivan of being motivated by money and expressed his bitterness at being forced to repay £100,000 to the club as part of an image rights' agreement.

'I was deeply saddened and hurt by what I read,' said Sullivan on Monday. 'The fact is Steve moved because he got an amazing financial offer from Wigan.

'We could have blocked the move and had an unhappy manager on our hands. We chose to let him go. He went with our blessing. Very few clubs would have done that. It has turned out to be a great move for Steve and Wigan Athletic. I'm happy for them.

'But I cannot get my head around why he sees fit to continually attack us. The bottom line is we paid him a £400,000 image rights' payment in advance. That was part of his contract. The agreement is quite clear. If he left within the year it was to be repaid pro-rata.

'He left after three months. We wanted £300,000 back. Is that greedy? We ended up settling for £100,000, paid over three years and swallowing a £200,000 liability. Now he turns on the board, and me in particular. He thinks letting him off with the £200,000 that he owed the club is greed.

'He should tell that to supporters earning £15,000 a year trying to find the money to watch games. We have had more £15 entrance fees for adults than any other Premier League club this season. Are those the actions of greedy people?'

Sullivan insists Birmingham's shareholders were entitled to ask for the cash back and he would have neglected his duty as plc chairman had he not chased down the debt.

Sullivan said: 'Steve gets a £1.5million bonus if Wigan stay up, rising to £2m next season. Honestly, I will be pleased for him.

But he added: 'I'm sad and disappointed by how Steve feels towards us because I do not want to think he has become a whinger in his old age.'