Strange One From Niall Quinn

There was a piece in yesterday's English Times about how Niall Quinn is "Reaching out to save the soul of Sunderland". How he is "committed in his desire to reconnect with the fans and place football back in the heart of the local community".

Talk about how "Football has lost its soul" due to the glut of foreign ownership, soaring wages and ticket prices, staggered kick-of times, feigning players, neutered competition etc.

It's talks about Sunderland's 'Foundation' - established under the Chairman before Quinn - which aims to maintain the clubs deep roots locally. Quinn also gives examples of players driving round in fancy sports cars at times when the team is underperforming and the city is shedding jobs locally.

All of which is very honourable, sensible and, I'm sure, well-meaning.

But it just doesn't stack up with the actions of a man/club that is itself under foreign ownership and which is trying to establish Sunderland as the 'Celtic of England'. Is the best way to save the soul of AFC Sunderland - and strengthen its local identity, roots and responsibilities - to flog it mercilessly in Ireland and dilute the crowd at every game with large numbers of 'supporters' from a different country ?

The Irish connection makes sense form a business viewpoint, and the local roots bit does so from both a business and a 'moral/ethical' viewpoint. But the two don't seem to work as strategies at all together, so will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

Niall Quinn increasingly sounds like a combination of George Bush (talks about doing things rather than actually doing them) & one of those weird Dictators from strange small countries who start renaming the days of the weeks & such... I expect Saint Niall to appoint himself as new Messiah shortly...

:o

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Originally Posted by pete

Niall Quinn increasingly sounds like a combination of George Bush (talks about doing things rather than actually doing them) & one of those weird Dictators from strange small countries who start renaming the days of the weeks & such... I expect Saint Niall to appoint himself as new Messiah shortly...

:o

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Quinnmenibashi?

Expect the gold statue that rotates to always face the sun in Sunderland town centre soon...

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Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Talk about how "Football has lost its soul" due to the glut of foreign ownership"

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Oh so the Irish consortium is not foreign then :confused:

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Originally Posted by pete

I expect Saint Niall to appoint himself as new Messiah shortly...

:o

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Saint Niall is the New Messiah.:D What he is talking about is getting the fans re-connected to SAFC. There was a lot of damage done under the last few years of the Murray era. Since the ship yards & Vaux closed SAFC is the only thing left in the area to represent the city. He wants to make the people of Sunderland proud again & the best way is to have a suceesful football club. Niall Quinn & Sunderland AFC aren't the fault for the decline in the LOI. So please give this 'Sunderland bashing' a rest & try to find the real problem.

A bit OT, but why don't Petersborough United get the same flak Sunderland do?

Very similar situation. Irish businessman taking over an English club down on their luck.

Because Niall Quinn was on McCarthy's side in Saipan and some people just can't seem to let that go :rolleyes:

It's possible to keep Sunderland firmly grounded in the Sunderland community whilst also trying to build your overseas fanbase too by the way, not all clubs need to go the route of Man Utd, what with having a theme park for a ground and clients instead of fans

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Originally Posted by jebus

It's possible to keep Sunderland firmly grounded in the Sunderland community whilst also trying to build your overseas fanbase too by the way

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Good point. He realises that if the club wants to become a major force they'll need more than just locals to support the club with revenue - more fans more sponsorship etc. But you can't go too far that way without ensuring you've your home town very much on-side or else the club would be pretty much a soulless franchise. It doesn't seem all that contradictory to me.

I think as long as Sunderland keep their various community projects going, whilst having a core of British/Irish players (especially in their youth system) than they will be able to keep the club grounded. It's really hardly the club's fault that Irish people follow Roy Keane's every burp, I think Quinn realises that if Keane were to leave, so would the Irish support, so I doubt he will go down the Celtic route in this country