 Quinn celebrates winning the Championship title at Luton |
On this day in 1991 Niall Quinn scored the decisive goals that relegated Sunderland from the top flight on the final day of the season. Seven years later he was in the Sunderland team that dropped out of the Premiership when they suffered a final-day loss at Wimbledon.
While the teams at the foot of the Premiership fret over their footballing lives this weekend, Quinn will be making plans to ensure Sunderland will be safe come 11 May 2008.
Worshipped as a player on Wearside, Quinn is proving even more popular as a chairman.
While manager Roy Keane received the bulk of the praise after last week's Championship title win, he was quick to pay tribute to the contribution of his former Republic of Ireland team-mate.
Quinn has had a huge influence on the club's recent fortunes.
In the past year alone the former striker and part-time coach has headed a consortium to buy the club, become full-time chairman, had a spell as manager and seems to work overtime for the marketing and public relations department.
He even arranges transport for fans who cannot make it home from games. But his biggest task lies ahead of him: keeping Sunderland in the Premiership.
The club's fans have witnessed more false dawns than Bill Murray in the film Groundhog Day.
Under previous chairman Bob Murray (no relation) Sunderland won promotion to the top flight on four occasions. Three times they came straight back down.
Conscious of those false dawns, Quinn is making no promises.
But there is real hope the club is not on a brief stop-off this time around.
He told BBC Sport: "It might not happen and we'd be fooling ourselves thinking that we can plan for it to definitely happen.
 | MR SUNDERLAND? 1996: Becomes the club's record signing but misses much of the relegation season through injury 1997: Scores the first goal at the Stadium of Light in a 3-1 win over Man City 1998: A fabulous season ends in play-off final defeat to Charlton at Wembley 1999: Scores 21 goals as Sunderland win the Championship with 105 points 2000: His goals help Sunderland to seventh in the Premiership 2000-01: Scores the winner in the Tyne-Wear derby on the way to another seventh-place finish 2002: Donates entire proceeds of testimonial to charity 2002-03: Quinn retires midway through the season and Sunderland's failure to adequately replace him leads to relegation 2006: Returns to the club as chairman and part-owner |
"But we'll try our best and push the club as far as we can. This is a club that could be very, very big." Sunderland are one of those clubs that are often talked about in potential terms.
It has fallen to Sunderland's gentle giant to turn them from sleeping giants into a club that can make the Premiership their permanent home.
For someone who had intended to spend his retirement days at the racecourse, it was a huge gamble.
Less than 10 months ago his Drumaville consortium spent about �10m to gain control of the club, while also taking on their increasing debts.
Alongside the �85m paid for West Ham or the �50m investors are said to be willing to spend on Championship-bound Charlton, it seems like Quinn might have grabbed himself something of a bargain.
With promotion to the Premiership said to be worth �60m, it looks a shrewd investment.
Quinn already feels many of the pieces of the puzzle are already in place.
He said: "We were very lucky in that we inherited the stadium, which is immaculate, and we inherited the training ground, which is immaculate.
"But the biggest thing we inherited was the fanbase - it gives us the chance to be a big club.
"Without a doubt, everything had to add up for the group of people (Drumaville) to come in and do what they did.
"I didn't want to bring these people in and try and buy a club that maybe gets promotion and says 'Isn't that great'?
"I wanted to buy a club where there are no bounds.
"We played a game a while ago before we were top of league and I looked at the crowds in the Premiership.
"Middlesbrough had 26,000, Blackburn had less than 20,000 and Wigan had 16,000. Then there was us with 38,800 to watch us play Hull.
"I think even people outside Sunderland are beginning to realise how big the club can be and of course Roy has been instrumental."
| SUNDERLAND'S YO-YO YEARS 1990: promoted (play-offs) 1991: relegated (19th) 1996: promoted (champions) 1997: relegated (18th) 1998: lost out in play-offs 1999: promoted (champions) 2003: relegated (20th) 2004: lost out in play-offs 2005: promoted (champions) 2006: relegated (20th) 2007: promoted (champions) |
Quinn saw first hand the potential of the club back in 1991 when they brought 15,000 fans to Maine Road to see their side doomed to relegation. Previous failures to build on promotions have been largely put down to the lack of ambition or funds.
"We won't slip up on finance," added Quinn.
"I believe Roy can attract the type of players Peter Reid and other managers could not get.
"I've ambition and Roy Keane is probably the most ambitious player that I have ever come across.
"I often played in big World Cup qualifiers and when we won we were jumping up and down in the dressing room, he was planning for the next game. He doesn't rest on his laurels."
Quinn has not only put his money on the line by taking over at Sunderland, but his reputation.
At City he played under Franny Lee, a Maine Road favourite as a player but a disaster as a chairman.
He will be hoping his footballing fairytale has a happier ending.
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