Niall Quinn has failed in his first task as Chairman Elect at Sunderland.
He has failed to appoint the top class manager that he intended to and instead has appointed himself with Bobby Saxton as his assistant.
This all sounds pretty damning, but it shouldn’t be.
Its an open secret that Niall has been chasing genuine top class managers such as Martin O’Neill and Sam Allardyce. Had he and his consortium actually attracted any of these managers there would have been few fans complaining and it would have been a major coup for the club.
The fact that Sunderland are even considering going for managers of that caliber shows the intentions of the new owners. Can you even imagine the departing chairman and board setting their sights so high?
On this occasion Niall has failed, but the club is at a low ebb, and Niall has made it clear that he still hasn’t given up hope completely of getting the man he wants.
For now its up to us all, fans, players and staff to give Niall the backing he needs to turn the club around. In Niall’s words “the rot has stopped”.
Good luck Niall – you’ve a job on your hands.