Niall Quinn has mighty manager decision to make

May 26 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

Choosing the right man to succeed Ricky Sbragia will be the acid test of Niall Quinn’s popularity. Stuart Rayner reports

SIX months ago, Niall Quinn promised Sunderland fans "a world-class manager". He gave them Ricky Sbragia. On Sunday, the promises started up again. This time he will have to deliver.

The Black Cats’ chairman seemed to have learned his lesson, promising a "big-name" rather than a "world-class" gaffer to replace the likeable, but limited, Sbragia.

It will be a big decision Quinn makes this summer. It is imperative he gets it right.

The Irishman played with fire in appointing rookie Roy Keane as his first manager and now relegation has been escaped, albeit by the seat of their pants, the gamble can be declared a success. Whether you liked or loathed the combustible Keane, the club he left in the lurch had undoubtedly been transformed for the better from the one he first walked into. Sbragia’s appointment also achieved its goal, but little else.

When Quinn first sat down to choose a manager, it was from a position of almost unparalleled strength. The former Sunderland centre-forward was at the head of a motley bunch of publicans, travel agents and property developers who idolised Quinn the footballer and bowed to his superior knowledge of the game.

In a matter of weeks, the gaggle of wealthy Irishmen will be swept aside, replaced by one mega-rich American. The chairman retains his seat as Ellis Short’s favoured football confidant but the Texan did not make his billions by allowing his heart to rule his head.