Niall Quinn is Sunderland's greatest hero of all-time. You can go all the way back to 1879 when the club was founded and not find a man who has done more for Sunderland than Niall Quinn. At £1.3 million, Peter Reid thought he was signing a 30-year-old Manchester City striker on the decline. He would've expected goals, but little did Reid realise that he had just shaped Sunderland's future. Quinn's best years were still ahead of him. The 1996/97 season, his first for Sunderland, was tough. He faced six-months on the sidelines after a bright start, and the club was relegated. That's when Kevin Phillips came along. The pair forged an unstoppable partnership and destroyed Division One in the 98/99 campaign. Sunderland finished with a record 105 points, and Quinn won the North East Sportswriters' Player Of The Year award. Many people doubted whether Quinn's back problems would hold out for another season in the Premier League, but he combined with Phillips to bag 44 league goals between them, eclipsing even Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke's total of 39. Quinn was a player, goalkeeper (once against Bradford), occasional captain, manager, chairman, owner, director, and ambassador for the club. He saved the club from the brink, and set it on the right course, before bowing out when he felt it was safe. While Ellis Short has provided a generous flow of cash, he still can't get the club running in complete tandem with the fans. That's not necessarily a failing on his part, but it was something Quinn brought to the club that very few could. Without him, it's terrifying to think where Sunderland might have ended up.
What Culture contributor. NCTJ accredited Sports Journalist. Regret-filled Sunderland AFC season ticket holder. Optimism-filled NFL fan. Lover of all things Game Of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead & more.
