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George Caulkin:
On the day that Gary Speed died, Niall Quinn was due to receive an award from the North East Football Writers' Association. It soon became clear that the awards dinner would have to be postponed - in the circumstances, nobody had the stomach for a night of revelry - and after spending several hours letting people know and making arrangements, Niall came up with a suggestion: let's go to the pub and talk about Gary and talk about football. It is not the kind of invitation you turn down.
Niall didn't know Gary intimately, but the news had struck him hard; when it broke, he went for a windy walk along Roker Beach to collect his thoughts. It put into perspective what was happening at Sunderland, where results were mediocre, the league table prompted discomfort and where Steve Bruce was under huge pressure. It made everybody take a breath and pause.
That evening, three or four of us met Niall in Durham and sat and drank and chatted about our memories of Gary. It was a night I'll always remember (or would, if alcohol hadn't washed those memories away), because it was a bitter-sweet reminder of everything great about our sport. A feeling of coming together, of unity, of warmth, of love. Of listening to a fine football man, tell stories. There was laughter and a few tears, too.
This was the week that Bruce finally left the club. It was the week Martin O'Neill was approached. It was the week all that was going on, as well as Niall's regular duties, and he began it by choosing to sit and chat with a handful of scruffy journalists, in a spit and sawdust pub. There was no paranoia, no division, no ulterior motive, no sense he had to watch his tongue because he was among reporters (we had all known him for years). Because of our awards cancellation, he had the evening free and wanted company. That sums him up.
Niall's achievements at Sunderland are many and obvious and although he leaves behind a talented and committed team, he will be missed sorely. He will be missed because of his inspiration and drive, the trust he inspires in supporters, the feeling that everything will be okay because Niall is there. He will be missed because, whatever his passport says, he is a man of the North East.
Niall finally received his award, at our rescheduled dinner earlier this month. In retrospect, we could have chosen no finer Personality of the Year, an award made in conjunction with the Sir Bobby Robson Association. Niall has the touch of Sir Bobby about him; lyrical, passionate, a man who commands respect throughout sport. I can't think of much better tribute than that.
George Caulkin:
On the day that Gary Speed died, Niall Quinn was due to receive an award from the North East Football Writers' Association. It soon became clear that the awards dinner would have to be postponed - in the circumstances, nobody had the stomach for a night of revelry - and after spending several hours letting people know and making arrangements, Niall came up with a suggestion: let's go to the pub and talk about Gary and talk about football. It is not the kind of invitation you turn down.
Niall didn't know Gary intimately, but the news had struck him hard; when it broke, he went for a windy walk along Roker Beach to collect his thoughts. It put into perspective what was happening at Sunderland, where results were mediocre, the league table prompted discomfort and where Steve Bruce was under huge pressure. It made everybody take a breath and pause.
That evening, three or four of us met Niall in Durham and sat and drank and chatted about our memories of Gary. It was a night I'll always remember (or would, if alcohol hadn't washed those memories away), because it was a bitter-sweet reminder of everything great about our sport. A feeling of coming together, of unity, of warmth, of love. Of listening to a fine football man, tell stories. There was laughter and a few tears, too.
This was the week that Bruce finally left the club. It was the week Martin O'Neill was approached. It was the week all that was going on, as well as Niall's regular duties, and he began it by choosing to sit and chat with a handful of scruffy journalists, in a spit and sawdust pub. There was no paranoia, no division, no ulterior motive, no sense he had to watch his tongue because he was among reporters (we had all known him for years). Because of our awards cancellation, he had the evening free and wanted company. That sums him up.
Niall's achievements at Sunderland are many and obvious and although he leaves behind a talented and committed team, he will be missed sorely. He will be missed because of his inspiration and drive, the trust he inspires in supporters, the feeling that everything will be okay because Niall is there. He will be missed because, whatever his passport says, he is a man of the North East.
Niall finally received his award, at our rescheduled dinner earlier this month. In retrospect, we could have chosen no finer Personality of the Year, an award made in conjunction with the Sir Bobby Robson Association. Niall has the touch of Sir Bobby about him; lyrical, passionate, a man who commands respect throughout sport. I can't think of much better tribute than that.