Quinn gets under the skin!

Trawling through our website history to make sure I got a Niall Quinn quote correct, I stumbled across an Echo fans survey which not only highlighted just how far Sunderland has fallen in the last 10 years but also how highly the supporters regarded the Black Cats legend.

The Echo survey asked fans, ahead of the 2018 season, if they could envisage a top four finish.

While the majority had their feet grounded on terra firma there were a significant few dreaming of a Champions League slot, but not for five to 10 years!

Ten years down the line and it feels as if avoiding a drop into the third tier is as elusive today as Champions league football was then. One quote, however, stood out. Responding to the survey question about the prospects of Sunderland in Europe, fan Chris Sumby said: “As long as we have Quinn – a guy who loves the club and not just making money – we have a chance.”

There has been little to cheer both on an off the pitch at Sunderland in recent months, but the merest hint of a Quinn return has sparked the imagination of the fans.

And let’s face it, they need something get fired up about.

Niall Quinn earned his place in the hearts of the fans, not just for his performances on the pitch, but the honest and passionate words he spoke off it.

That Quinn quote I was looking for, lives long in the memory of Sunderland fans.

He said: “The happiest days of my sporting life were at Sunderland.

“I learned my trade at Arsenal, became a footballer at Manchester City but Sunderland got under my skin. It hurt me deeply to leave.”

What fans wouldn’t give for a triumphant return.