Stephen Quinn – You’ve seen nothing like the Mighty Quinn
Articles, Irish Daily Mail - 13. 1. 2013
There comes a time when stubbornness, tactical systems and old-fashioned ways should be trumped by black-and-white statistics, but Stephen Quinn is still waiting for that day to arrive.
Inching towards the peak years of his career, the 26-year-old boasts some of the most impressive statistics of an Irish player abroad from recent seasons, yet a call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad has never come.
The Dubliner wonders just what he has to do to break into Giovanni Trapattoni’s plans after topping the assists charts in League One for Sheffield United last term and earning a place on the Team of the Year.
Those are insignificant rewards to the midfielder when he lands in Dublin Airport during international breaks and heads for the family home in Clondalkin, while three of his club-mates set off for Portmarnock for Ireland training.
Every time that happens, it hurts that little bit more. Although it is something that Quinn is determined to change and it explains why he left Sheffield United to join promotion-chasing Hull City in the Championship last summer.
It was time for a new chapter; one that he hopes includes international football and a regular place alongside Paul McShane, David Meyler and Robbie Brady on that short trip from the airport to the Ireland base.
In order to get there, he must keep producing the kind of stats that he has been. At least that’s the message from his club boss, Steve Bruce, who only recently told the former Under 21 international midfielder just how good they are.
‘It’s funny because one of the things that the manager [Bruce] said to me when he was looking at signing me was that my stats were really impressive. I never really looked at them before,’ said Quinn.
‘He said that he couldn’t believe the deal that he was getting, because it was little or nothing for someone producing the kind of stats that I was. That was nice to hear and I suppose it backs up the form that I have been in.’
While his tally of assists and chances on goal per game make his name stand out on paper, it is Quinn’s link-up play, runs off the ball and clever positioning that allow him to get into areas where he can notch up those laudable figures.
However, he feels that Ireland manager Trapattoni might view him as a player who can only operate in a certain role, which means his versatility is overlooked, just as it once was for Keith Fahey and Wes Hoolahan.
If that is indeed the case, then it only provides extra motivation to dismantle that theory. Although, he has needed some reassurance fro older brother Alan, who was capped eight times for Ireland, to keep on believing in himself.
Confidence has rarely been something that the bubbly Quinn has needed to search for, but sometimes you need a little help from your friends and that is where the three Irish amigos at Hull come in.
‘When I was playing in League One, I was realistic and said that I probably didn’t have much of a chance of getting a call-up. But now I’m playing in a team flying high in the Championship,’ said Quinn.
‘Don’t get me wrong, Trapattoni has done a great job with Ireland and there is no bitterness about players who deserve to be there. I just want to get one chance to show the manager what I can do – even if it is in a training session.
‘Sometimes I think that maybe I’m not his sort of player, that he sees me as a small midfielder that wouldn’t fit into his system. But I’ll never stop trying to get into the squad; I’d give my right arm to play just one game.
‘I know that the manager here [Bruce] has been praising me in the media and putting in a few calls, which is great. But hopefully having three Ireland internationals here will help, because if a scout comes to watch them, maybe I can catch their eye.’
Tonight might just be Quinn’s lucky night in that regard. No, Trapattoni will not be braving the cold winds to sit in the KC Stadium, but the visit of Sheffield Wednesday is live on TV, which means a recording could be Milan-bound.
Rather than treating it as a solo audition to enhance his international prospects, Quinn wants to impress by helping his team win. After all, the better that Hull do, the more he will get noticed.
‘The season has gone really well for us so far. We are in a good position, playing nice football and now signing the two lads [Brady and Meyler] will give us that extra boost,’ he said.
‘We would like to think that we can make it up to the Premier League this season. That is why the manager came in, it is why Brady and Meyler have signed permanently, and it is what a club like this expects. But there is still a bit to go yet.’
That goes for his international hopes, too. Quinn has no intention of giving up the fight to earn that senior call-up and prove that he belongs at that level.
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