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Sunderland - Boss shows courage
Written by Sawyer | 25th July 2006 | 1 Comment(s)
New Sunderland manager Niall Quinn certainly isn't one to pass the buck when it comes to making decisions, and the one he made to install himself as manager is without doubt one of the bravest.
The Irishman joked, "I'm qualified for the Championship because you don't need any qualifications! But as someone said to me, badges are for boy scouts."
There won't have been many years when all three of the major North East clubs have had a change of manager, but at least Quinn's appointment didn't face the objections afforded to Gareth Southgate and Glenn Roeder.
Furthermore, at least Quinn will only have to look in the mirror if he wants to have a conversation with his Chairman, which should prevent an early sacking if things didn't go swimmingly on the pitch immediately.
There aren't too many cases where the roles of Chairman and manager have been implemented during the past. Peterborough's Barry Fry has had two short term attempts, but as the former Barnet boss admits, ‘'this was only ever going to be a short-term solution, and is far too difficult to keep going''
As Fry sympathised with the situation Quinn had granted himself, he did appreciate that Sunderland's position with their massive support and stature would make the duel roles a little more bearable and not impossible to maintain.
‘'At a club like Peterborough every day is a question of survival, but at Sunderland Niall will be able to delegate a lot which will give him the chance to concentrate on the football. It is vital he concentrates on the football and doesn't get too involved in the running of the club,'' stated Fry.
Graham Turner at Hereford United is another who encompasses both jobs, but again his situation is a lot lower down the Leagues. Success was achieved last season as Hereford gained promotion back into the Football League via a play-off victory over Halifax.
Ron Noades operated both roles when he was at Brentford for a while and he too gained promotion taking The Bees into what is now known as League One.
So there is evidence that the roles can be dovetailed, but of course past cases show that the incumbent has at least had experience working in one of the roles already. Quinn has previously worked in neither role and this is where he will need to surround himself with the right people.
Quinn sensibly admits he is only looking to take on both roles in the short-term:
‘'My job is to get us to turn the corner and get us into a position where we can attract the world class manager we want. It could take three months, 12 months, 18 months, I don't know.''
''When we can get that world class man, or if things aren't going to plan: I will step aside. But we got to the stage where we had to make an appointment.''
Effectively he was forced into a position where perspective signings would need a manager to ensure them of their possible roles within the squad, and without being able to attract the right person as yet Quinn, felt it necessary to be that man who could let players know that they were wanted by the club.
Quinn has been very forthright that he would make sure the club is run properly, and it may be a throw-back to his Arsenal days when he stated that, ‘'the players will find that certain standards will be brought in that they may not be used to, but this club will be run properly.''
Quinn has often waxed lyrical with concern to his time at Highbury and would certainly have learnt the value of tradition and history, but he will also have taken on board the indulgencies that he along with colleagues such as Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Paul Merson were guilty of, and he would not want to see that culture repeated at Sunderland.
However, Quinn has always been proud of the values instilled in him when at Arsenal and has conducted himself accordingly throughout his career.
Quinn also remains a popular character at Manchester City and of course for the efforts he made while representing Ireland on the International stage.
His intended style of play appears to reflect his own career as a forward, ‘' we're going to be an attacking team. I want my wingers putting crosses in - I want us playing the type of football that people in the stadium loved four or five years ago.''
Of course Quinn has yet to be officially installed as Chairman, but that is only a matter of time until before his duel role becomes a reality.
From his punditry appearances and his latest interviews since returning to Sunderland, Quinn certainly has tremendous enthusiasm for football and especially the club he has taken to his heart.
He will appreciate that The Championship will not be an easy League to escape from, but sometimes football does throw up romantic stories of success.
Whether Niall Quinn's time at Sunderland will be one of those stories only time will tell, but there won't be too many that would like to see this likable character fail, and initially he should be congratulated for having the courage to take the task on.
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Some of the best managers in British Football history never had badges - Ramsey, Brian Clough, (Bob Stokoe) etc etc so Quinn joins a band of the greats.