In the wake of Kevin Keegan and Alan Curbishley's recent resignations, the role of club supremos has come under the media spotlight.

Owners are expected to provide backing to the manager without meddling in transfer policy and team selection.

However, at certain clubs, that line appears to have been crossed, with managerial departures the inevitable outcome.

Bruce, though, insists he is given complete freedom to run the Latics as he sees fit, an understanding he admits appears to be in decline.

"I must have the ideal chairman to work for - Dave Whelan is English, is a football person and wants his team to do well," Bruce told the Wigan Evening Post.

"He never interferes in what I do at all - I think I'm the envy of a lot of managers.

"When I speak to other club managers, they crave to just be left alone to do their job.

"If you fail doing it your way, that's fine - you know what the consequences will be, so in that respect I'm very lucky.

"Which manager in their own right wouldn't want a say in a club's policy on transfers?

"You have to be responsible for transfers, responsible for the players you put out on the pitch to try to win matches.

"It works differently on the Continent, but that isn't the right way to do things over here."