Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce says there was no chance of him allowing assistant Eric Black to join Coventry City.

Bruce told fans at Thursday night's Fans Forum held at the JJB Stadium that it 'spoke volumes' about Black's qualities as a top line coach that Coventry had made an approach.

"When you have someone of Eric's calibre, it is inevitable that he is going to attract interest from elsewhere," said Bruce, "it's not a problem, if anything, it's a compliment."

Bruce revealed that permission was not given because he, Black, and the rest of the management team are at the start of a major project at the JJB Stadium, and that there is still "a hell of a lot of work to be done."

"We are at the beginning of a long journey," Bruce told fans, "and we all want to see it through. The potential at this club is immense. The club has come such a long way in a short space of time, and our job now is to consolidate our position in the Premier League. That job will be made a lot easier with people like Eric on board."