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

One who will appreciate it is the man currently leading the betting. Steve Bruce has a proven pedigree, not only in the Premier League, but outside of its top echelons. The man from Corbridge appears to be growing weary of Wigan Athletic, where he worked hard to reinvigorate his side after the January sales only to see them give up the ghost with Europe in sight. Most of the few stars left at the JJB Stadium will be next out. But appointing a man who has made so much mileage of being a Geordie and a boyhood Newcastle United fan will be a risk both for Quinn and Bruce.

Slaven Bilic is another mentioned in dispatches. But the Croatia manager has promised to see out his country’s World Cup qualifying campaign and would therefore have to break his word to join Sunderland. He is anxious to manage in the Premier League, however.

Quinn is desperate for a big name, even though all his last one brought him was a collection of egos who seemed to think they were bigger still, but were unable to prove it where it mattered. After having experienced the laissez-faire Keane and the hands-on Sbragia, Sunderland’s players would prefer more of the latter.

"The lads have worked hard for Ricky and enjoyed working for him," said defender Danny Collins. "He’s a great man.

"I don’t know what his role will be at the club but hopefully he’ll still be around next season. If you ask any of the lads, I don’t think they’ve a bad word to say about him. He’s a great character and puts in the work on the training pitch.

"He’s the kind of boss who gets involved on a day-to-day basis and I think players respond well to that. We’ve had one or two bad results but I don’t think you can blame that on the manager."

More bad results next season and the man who chooses the manager might find some of the blame heading his way.