Niall Quinn
Encyclopedia
Niall John Quinn honorary MBE
(born 6 October 1966 in Dublin, Ireland
) is a former Irish
international footballer
, and the ex-chairman of Sunderland AFC
. He still works at the club as an overseas manager. He is also heavily involved in the management side of horse racing
. In 2003 Niall received the prestigious Beacon Fellowship
Prize for his contribution to medical and children's charities.
, County Tipperary
. His father as well as his mother's brothers played hurling
for Tipperary
. He now lives in Kildare. He is married to the Irish model, Gillian Quinn, and they have two children Aisling and Michael.
for Robert Emmets GAC
in Perrystown, Dublin 12. He also played underage football and hurling for Dublin GAA
(he played in the 1983 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
Final) and was offered a lucrative contract to play Australian Rules football before settling on a career playing soccer. He played Gaelic football for Co. Kildare club Eadestown
after his retirement, winning a junior C county title in 2008.
he signed professional forms with English club Arsenal
in 1983. He scored on his first-team debut against Liverpool
in December 1985, against the mighty pairing of Hansen and Lawrenson earning himself the nickname "Mighty Quinn" and made the headlines on the back page of Sunday World Ireland's biggest selling tabloid- the original plate of which is still in his mother's home, but his form for the rest of that season was decidedly patchy.
Prior to being recruited to the Arsenal youth team Quinn played in the 1983 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
final with Dublin
.
Quinn took time to find form, but by 1986–87
had become a regular in the Arsenal side, helping them reach and then win the 1987 League Cup
final. However, the arrival of fellow centre-forward Alan Smith
that summer forced Quinn out of the Arsenal first team, and he became a fringe player. In all he scored 20 goals in 94 matches for the Gunners. He missed out on a league title winner's medal in 1989 after failing to appear in enough games.
Manchester City
signed Quinn for £900,000 in March 1990. He scored 22 times in his first full season, and he went on to spend six years at the club, scoring 78 goals in 245 appearances; his time at City was hampered by a cruciate ligament
injury in 1993–94
.
His most notable game for City was 20 April 1991 when he scored early on and saved a penalty as City beat Derby County
2–1, relegating Derby in the process. City goalkeeper Tony Coton
had been sent off before half time for fouling Saunders to concede the penalty. At this time teams rarely, if ever, named goalkeepers as substitutes, so Quinn replaced Coton in goal.
In the 1993 close season, Everton
made a bid to sign Quinn and a further bid was made early in the 1993-94 season
, but both bids were rejected and Quinn would remain at Maine Road
for a further three seasons.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hpkWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7xMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4885,638683&dq=howard+kendall&hl=en
Quinn finished his career with a highly successful spell at Sunderland
, joining the north-east club in August 1996 for a club record £1.3million, although he missed six months of his first season due to a knee injury – similar to the one which ruined his World Cup chances three years earlier. Before his injury, he had got off to a fine start to his Sunderland career, finding the net twice on his debut in a 4-1 win at Nottingham Forest
. In his absence from September to March, Sunderland struggled and although he was back in action by the end of the season, they were relegated.
His partnership with striker Kevin Phillips
, signed in the 1997 close season, was one of the most prolific in the Football League in the late 1990s and helped the club to promotion to the Premiership
. Quinn also has the distinction of being the first player to score at Sunderland's Stadium of Light
, against Manchester City in 1997. He became a local legend at Sunderland, winning both the Sunderland and North East Sportswriters' Player of the Year awards in 1999 after scoring 21 goals in Sunderland's record-breaking Division One title-winning season. His final appearance for Sunderland came on 19 October 2002 against West Ham.
in 1986, and went on to earn 92 caps . He retired as his country's all-time top scorer with 21 goals; this record was surpassed by Robbie Keane
in October 2004. Quinn played for his country at two World Cups, in 1990 and 2002; he missed the 1994 FIFA World Cup
because of injury. Quinn was also a member of the Irish squad that participated in the 1988 European Football Championship playing just once, as a substitute in Ireland's 1–0 win over England
in Stuttgart
.
Quinn famously scored the equaliser against the Netherlands
in the 1990 World Cup which allowed Ireland to progress to the second round of that tournament. In the qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup he scored against Cyprus
on his 35th birthday to break the then national goalscoring record. In the 2002 tournament, his header set up Robbie Keane
's late equaliser against Germany
, which was the only goal Germany conceded before the final. In the second-round, with Ireland behind 1-0 to Spain
, it was a foul on Quinn that led to Ireland's last-minute penalty, converted by Robbie Keane
, which tied the game and brought extra-time, but Ireland lost 3-2 in the resulting penalty-shootout.
Quinn had a testimonial match
between Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland in 2002. He donated the entire proceeds to charity
, an act for which he received a number of awards, including an honorary MBE. Instead of receiving an appearance fee for the game, all the players received a letter from a sick child. Quinn played for both teams during the match, which raised over £1 million.
pundit and commentator for televised matches involving his former teams with Sky Sports
.
Quinn released an acclaimed autobiography Niall Quinn – The Autobiography (2002), which was ghostwritten
by Tom Humphries
and was nominated for a William Hill Sports Book of the Year
award. The book is not structured chronologically, but rather in the context of Quinn's career swansong, the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Heading the Drumaville Consortium
of wealthy Irish businessmen, in June 2006 Quinn successfully brokered a deal to buy a controlling stake in Sunderland AFC. In July 2006 Quinn became the chairman and manager
of Sunderland. The deal was finalised on July 27, 2006, with sufficient shares being sold to the consortium in order for them to take complete control.
His managerial career did not get off to a good start as the team lost its first four league games in a row. On 22 August Sunderland played Bury away in the Carling Cup where they lost 2–0. After the match Quinn said that a new manager would be appointed by Sunderland's next game. Contrary to opinion, Niall Quinn didn't sack himself. He was in search of a world class name and stepped to one side (to continue in his role as Sunderland chairman) paving the way for Roy Keane
to take charge. This was highly unexpected considering the huge rift between the two arising from Keane's infamous ejection from the 2002 World Cup. Keane was appointed manager of the club on 28 August 2006. The appointment matured into a great success, with Sunderland clinching an immediate Premier League comeback as Football League Championship
champions. Quinn has also made substantial amounts of money available for buying new players, as he has a declared ambition to establish Sunderland as a top club.
In 2008, he received the James Joyce Award
of the Literary & Historical Society in University College Dublin
.
On August 8, 2009, while competing in the Phoenix Park car races, Quinn crashed his car and sustained minor injuries.
In 2010, Quinn was named a patron of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation
.
In October 2011 Ellis Short
, the current club owner, replaced Quinn as chairman of Sunderland. Quinn will now spearhead international development on behalf of the club.
The song was adopted by Sunderland fans and released as a single by the club's devoted fanzine A Love Supreme (Sunderland)
, reaching number 39 in the UK Singles Charts in April 1999 and number 1 in the NME Indie Charts - one place ahead of Oasis.
International football
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Sunderland
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 6 October 1966 in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
) is a former Irish
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
international footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, and the ex-chairman of Sunderland AFC
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. He still works at the club as an overseas manager. He is also heavily involved in the management side of horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. In 2003 Niall received the prestigious Beacon Fellowship
Community Foundation Network
Community Foundation Network is a registered charity that leads a movement of community foundations committed to positive social change in the UK through the development of “community philanthropy”...
Prize for his contribution to medical and children's charities.
Early and personal life
Both Quinn's parents are from ThurlesThurles
Thurles is a town situated in North Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty and is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly...
, County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
. His father as well as his mother's brothers played hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
for Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
. He now lives in Kildare. He is married to the Irish model, Gillian Quinn, and they have two children Aisling and Michael.
Gaelic games
Niall Quinn played Gaelic footballGaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
for Robert Emmets GAC
Robert Emmets GAC
Robert Emmets GAC are a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Perrystown, Dublin, Ireland.-Competitions:Their two adult men's football teams play Adult Junior football in AFL Division 7 and AFL Division 11B and Parsons Cup and Mooney Cup , respectively.Their juvenile teams play U12 "C" FC...
in Perrystown, Dublin 12. He also played underage football and hurling for Dublin GAA
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
(he played in the 1983 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...
Final) and was offered a lucrative contract to play Australian Rules football before settling on a career playing soccer. He played Gaelic football for Co. Kildare club Eadestown
Eadestown GAA
Eadestown is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in County Kildare, Ireland based in the smallest parish in the diocese of Dublin, winners of the Kildare county senior football championships in 1970. Kill and Eadestown combine for juvenile purposes under the names Cill Éide.' and Oliver Plunkets...
after his retirement, winning a junior C county title in 2008.
Club career
He played as a youth for Irish club Manortown United, which was based at Greentrees Park, adjacent to Robert Emmets GAC (it not being unusual in Dublin to play two separate codes of football). After an unsuccessful trial at Fulham F.C.Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
he signed professional forms with English club Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in 1983. He scored on his first-team debut against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in December 1985, against the mighty pairing of Hansen and Lawrenson earning himself the nickname "Mighty Quinn" and made the headlines on the back page of Sunday World Ireland's biggest selling tabloid- the original plate of which is still in his mother's home, but his form for the rest of that season was decidedly patchy.
Prior to being recruited to the Arsenal youth team Quinn played in the 1983 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...
final with Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
.
Quinn took time to find form, but by 1986–87
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
had become a regular in the Arsenal side, helping them reach and then win the 1987 League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final. However, the arrival of fellow centre-forward Alan Smith
Alan M. Smith
Alan Martin Smith is an English former football striker. He played for Leicester City and Arsenal at professional level, and won thirteen caps for England.-Leicester City:...
that summer forced Quinn out of the Arsenal first team, and he became a fringe player. In all he scored 20 goals in 94 matches for the Gunners. He missed out on a league title winner's medal in 1989 after failing to appear in enough games.
Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
signed Quinn for £900,000 in March 1990. He scored 22 times in his first full season, and he went on to spend six years at the club, scoring 78 goals in 245 appearances; his time at City was hampered by a cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee...
injury in 1993–94
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
.
His most notable game for City was 20 April 1991 when he scored early on and saved a penalty as City beat Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
2–1, relegating Derby in the process. City goalkeeper Tony Coton
Tony Coton
Anthony Philip "Tony" Coton is an English former footballer who made 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing as a goalkeeper for Birmingham City, Watford, Manchester City and Sunderland...
had been sent off before half time for fouling Saunders to concede the penalty. At this time teams rarely, if ever, named goalkeepers as substitutes, so Quinn replaced Coton in goal.
In the 1993 close season, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
made a bid to sign Quinn and a further bid was made early in the 1993-94 season
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
, but both bids were rejected and Quinn would remain at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
for a further three seasons.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hpkWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7xMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4885,638683&dq=howard+kendall&hl=en
Quinn finished his career with a highly successful spell at Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, joining the north-east club in August 1996 for a club record £1.3million, although he missed six months of his first season due to a knee injury – similar to the one which ruined his World Cup chances three years earlier. Before his injury, he had got off to a fine start to his Sunderland career, finding the net twice on his debut in a 4-1 win at Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
. In his absence from September to March, Sunderland struggled and although he was back in action by the end of the season, they were relegated.
His partnership with striker Kevin Phillips
Kevin Phillips (footballer)
Kevin Mark Phillips is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Blackpool.Phillips was the Premier League top scorer in the 1999–2000 season with 30 goals for Sunderland, a tally which won him the European Golden Shoe. He remains the only Englishman to win the trophy...
, signed in the 1997 close season, was one of the most prolific in the Football League in the late 1990s and helped the club to promotion to the Premiership
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
. Quinn also has the distinction of being the first player to score at Sunderland's Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...
, against Manchester City in 1997. He became a local legend at Sunderland, winning both the Sunderland and North East Sportswriters' Player of the Year awards in 1999 after scoring 21 goals in Sunderland's record-breaking Division One title-winning season. His final appearance for Sunderland came on 19 October 2002 against West Ham.
International career
Quinn made his debut for the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
in 1986, and went on to earn 92 caps . He retired as his country's all-time top scorer with 21 goals; this record was surpassed by Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
in October 2004. Quinn played for his country at two World Cups, in 1990 and 2002; he missed the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
because of injury. Quinn was also a member of the Irish squad that participated in the 1988 European Football Championship playing just once, as a substitute in Ireland's 1–0 win over England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
.
Quinn famously scored the equaliser against the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
in the 1990 World Cup which allowed Ireland to progress to the second round of that tournament. In the qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup he scored against Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
on his 35th birthday to break the then national goalscoring record. In the 2002 tournament, his header set up Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
's late equaliser against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, which was the only goal Germany conceded before the final. In the second-round, with Ireland behind 1-0 to Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, it was a foul on Quinn that led to Ireland's last-minute penalty, converted by Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
, which tied the game and brought extra-time, but Ireland lost 3-2 in the resulting penalty-shootout.
Quinn had a testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
between Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland in 2002. He donated the entire proceeds to charity
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
, an act for which he received a number of awards, including an honorary MBE. Instead of receiving an appearance fee for the game, all the players received a letter from a sick child. Quinn played for both teams during the match, which raised over £1 million.
Later career
Quinn retired in 2003 at the age of 37, taking a brief coaching role at Sunderland. Quinn has also made appearances as a televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
pundit and commentator for televised matches involving his former teams with Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
.
Quinn released an acclaimed autobiography Niall Quinn – The Autobiography (2002), which was ghostwritten
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
by Tom Humphries
Tom Humphries
Tom Humphries is a sportswriter and columnist who writes for The Irish Times. He lives in Dublin with Mary and his two children, Molly and Caitlín....
and was nominated for a William Hill Sports Book of the Year
William Hill Sports Book of the Year
The William Hill Sports Book of the Year is an annual British literary award sponsored by bookmakers William Hill. It claims to be "the world's richest sports book prize" at £22,000...
award. The book is not structured chronologically, but rather in the context of Quinn's career swansong, the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Heading the Drumaville Consortium
Drumaville Consortium
The Drumaville Consortium was a group of seven Irish businessmen and one English businessman led by former footballer Niall Quinn, who were involved in the 2006 takeover of English Premier League football club Sunderland A.F.C....
of wealthy Irish businessmen, in June 2006 Quinn successfully brokered a deal to buy a controlling stake in Sunderland AFC. In July 2006 Quinn became the chairman and manager
Manager (association football)
In association football, a manager is responsible for running a football club or a national team. The manager of a professional club is responsible directly to the club president. The position of manager is almost exclusively used in British football...
of Sunderland. The deal was finalised on July 27, 2006, with sufficient shares being sold to the consortium in order for them to take complete control.
His managerial career did not get off to a good start as the team lost its first four league games in a row. On 22 August Sunderland played Bury away in the Carling Cup where they lost 2–0. After the match Quinn said that a new manager would be appointed by Sunderland's next game. Contrary to opinion, Niall Quinn didn't sack himself. He was in search of a world class name and stepped to one side (to continue in his role as Sunderland chairman) paving the way for Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
to take charge. This was highly unexpected considering the huge rift between the two arising from Keane's infamous ejection from the 2002 World Cup. Keane was appointed manager of the club on 28 August 2006. The appointment matured into a great success, with Sunderland clinching an immediate Premier League comeback as Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
champions. Quinn has also made substantial amounts of money available for buying new players, as he has a declared ambition to establish Sunderland as a top club.
In 2008, he received the James Joyce Award
James Joyce Award
The James Joyce Award is an award given by the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin for those who have achieved outstanding success in their given field...
of the Literary & Historical Society in University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
.
On August 8, 2009, while competing in the Phoenix Park car races, Quinn crashed his car and sustained minor injuries.
In 2010, Quinn was named a patron of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation
Sir Bobby Robson Foundation
The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is a British cancer research charity which raises money to fund the early detection and treatment of cancer, and clinical trials of anti-cancer drugs...
.
In October 2011 Ellis Short
Ellis Short
Ellis Short is a Dallas-based Irish American businessman, president of Lone Star Funds based in Texas...
, the current club owner, replaced Quinn as chairman of Sunderland. Quinn will now spearhead international development on behalf of the club.
Fan relationships
Niall has his own song titled "Niall Quinn's Disco Pants". The song was originally created by Manchester City fans during a night out on a pre-season tour in Penola, Italy. It was 1992. There had been a bust-up with City team-mate Steve McMahon and Quinn had removed his torn and bloodied shirt and was dancing with Rick Holden wearing just a pair of cut-off jeans. He was "hardly aware" that there were a group of hardcore City fans watching and they treated him to "the first performance of the song that will follow me till the end of my career." The chorus went, to the tune of the standard football chant Here We Go:- Niall Quinn's disco pants are the best,
They go up from his arse to his chest,
They are better than Adam and the Ants,
Niall Quinn's disco pants!
The song was adopted by Sunderland fans and released as a single by the club's devoted fanzine A Love Supreme (Sunderland)
A Love Supreme (Sunderland)
A Love Supreme is an independent magazine and fanzine created for the supporters of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C.. The fanzine was first published in 1989 by the supporters and for the supporters of the club itself...
, reaching number 39 in the UK Singles Charts in April 1999 and number 1 in the NME Indie Charts - one place ahead of Oasis.
Appearances and goals
Club football (all competitions, including substitute appearances)- ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
: 1983–1990, 94 games, 20 goals - Manchester CityManchester City F.C.Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
: 1990–1996 245 games, 78 goals - SunderlandSunderland A.F.C.Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
: 1996–2002, 220 games, 69 goals - BEC Tero Sasana: 2006, 1 game, 0 goal
International football
- Ireland: 92 appearances, 21 goals
Playing record by year
|-|1983–84
The Football League 1983-84
-Overview:The 1983–1984 season was the 84th completed season of The Football League.- First Division:Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history. They overcame strong competition from...
||rowspan=7|Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
||rowspan=7|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1984–85
The Football League 1984-85
-Overview:The 1984–1985 season was the 85th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Howard Kendall’s Everton side beat neighbours Liverpool to the league championship, while Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United followed closely behind...
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1985–86
The Football League 1985-86
-Overview:The 1985–1986 season was the 86th completed season of the The Football League.-Final league tables and results :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at the website, with home and away statistics separated.Re-election: During the first five seasons...
||12||1||3||0||2||0||0||0||17||1
|-
|1986–87
The Football League 1986-87
-Overview:The 1986–1987 season was the 87th completed season of the The Football League.-Innovations for this season:Playoffs to determine promotion places were introduced in 1987 so that more clubs remained eligible for promotion closer to the end of the season, and at the same time to aid in the...
||35||8||4||1||9||3||0||0||48||12
|-
|1987–88
The Football League 1987-88
The 1987–1988 season was the 88th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season...
||11||2||2||0||3||0||0||0||16||2
|-
|1988–89
The Football League 1988-89
The 1988–1989 season was the 89th completed season of the Football League.No European qualification took place due to the Heysel Stadium disaster suspension in place....
||3||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||3||1
|-
|1989–90
The Football League 1989-90
The 1989–1990 season was the 90th completed season of The Football League.- First Division :Liverpool overhauled a greatly improved Aston Villa side to win their 18th league championship trophy and their fifth major trophy in as many seasons under Kenny Dalglish’s management. To date, this remains...
||6||2||1||1||2||1||0||0||9||4
|-
|1989–90
The Football League 1989-90
The 1989–1990 season was the 90th completed season of The Football League.- First Division :Liverpool overhauled a greatly improved Aston Villa side to win their 18th league championship trophy and their fifth major trophy in as many seasons under Kenny Dalglish’s management. To date, this remains...
||rowspan=7|Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
||rowspan=3|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||9||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990–91
The Football League 1990-91
The 1990–1991 season was the 91st completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Arsenal took their second league title in three seasons despite a season during which it often looked as though the good points would be outnumbered by the bad points...
||38||20||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92
The Football League 1991-92
The 1991–1992 season was the 92nd completed season of The Football League.- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of players like Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David...
||35||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93
FA Premier League 1992-93
The 1992–93 FA Premier League was the first season of the Premier League, the top division of English football. The league was made up of the 22 clubs that broke away from The Football League at the end of the 1991–92 season. The new league was backed up by a five-year, £305 million deal with...
||rowspan=4|Premier League||39||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94
FA Premier League 1993-94
-New league sponsors:From the start of the 1993-94 season, the FA Premier League was sponsored by Carling Breweries.-Promoted teams:Newcastle United and West Ham were promoted to the Premier League from the First Division as champions and runners-up respectively. The last promotion place was won by...
||15||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994–95
FA Premier League 1994-95
-Promoted teams:Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest were promoted from the Football League First Division as winners and runners-up respectively. Leicester City won the 1993-94 playoff.-Controversial incidents:...
||35||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995–96
FA Premier League 1995-96
-Promoted teams:Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs were promoted this season: Middlesbrough as Football League First Division champions, and Bolton Wanderers who won the 1994-95 playoff.-Transfers:...
||32||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996–97
FA Premier League 1996-97
The 1996–97 FA Premier League season was the fifth season of the competition, since its formation in 1992. The majority of the season was contested by the reigning champions, Manchester United, along with Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool...
||rowspan=7|Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
||Premier League||12||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997–98
The Football League 1997-98
The 1997–1998 season was the 98th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Champions Nottingham Forest and runners-up Middlesbrough won promotion back to the Premiership at the first time of asking. Charlton Athletic won the playoffs to end an eight-year absence from the top...
||rowspan=2|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||35||14||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998–99
The Football League 1998-99
The 1998–1999 season was the 99th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Sunderland were crowned First Division champions with 105 points, then a record, having lost just three games all season, to prove right the many pundits who tipped them for promotion...
||39||18||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999-00||rowspan=4|Premier League||37||14||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000–01
FA Premier League 2000-01
The FA Premier League 2000-01 season was the third season running which ended with Manchester United as champions and Arsenal as runners-up. Sir Alex Ferguson became the first manager to win three successive English league titles, although three teams had achieved that feat in the past - but with...
||34||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02
FA Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...
||38||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...
||8||0||||||||||||||||
|-
473||141||||||||||||||||
474||141||||||||||||||||
International goals
- Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first
Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored(Tally) 10 November 1987 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin5–0 Friendly 1 (1) 2 June 1990 National Stadium, Ta' Qali 0–3 Friendly 1 (2) 21 June 1990 Stadio Renzo Barbera Stadio Renzo BarberaStadio Renzo Barbera is a football stadium in Palermo, Italy. It is currently home of U.S. Città di Palermo football team. The stadium was inaugurated on January 24, 1932 and was named Stadio Littorio in homage to the Fascism. The opening match was Palermo vs Atalanta, with Palermo winning 5–1...
, PalermoPalermoPalermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
1–1 World Cup 1 (3) 17 October 1990 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin5–0 Euro 1992 Qualifier 1 (4) 6 February 1991 Racecourse Ground Racecourse GroundThe Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League...
, WrexhamWrexhamWrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
0–3 Friendly 2 (6) 27 March 1991 Wembley Stadium Wembley StadiumThe original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1–1 Euro 1992 Qualifier 1 (7) 29 April 1992 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin4–1 Friendly 1 (8) 31 March 1993 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin3–0 World Cup Qualifier 1 (9) 28 April 1993 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin1–1 World Cup Qualifier 1 (10) 12 October 1994 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin4–0 Euro 1996 Qualifier 2 (12) 29 March 1995 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin1–1 Euro 1996 Qualifier 1 (13) 2 June 1996 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin2–2 Friendly 1 (14) 31 August 1996 Sportpark Eschen-Mauren Sportpark Eschen-MaurenSportpark Eschen-Mauren is a multi-use stadium in Eschen, Liechtenstein. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of USV Eschen/Mauren. The stadium, opened in 1975, seats 600 with a total ground capacity of 2,100 people....
, EschenEschenEschen is a municipality in the north of Liechtenstein. As of 2005 it has a population of 4,150, and covers an area of 10.3 km². It is the fourth largest city in Liechtenstein.-External links:*...
0–5 World Cup Qualifier 1998 World Cup1998 World Cup may refer to:*1998 IAAF World Cup*1998 Men's Hockey World Cup*1998 Women's Hockey World Cup*1998 FIFA World Cup*1998 Alpine Skiing World Cup...
2 (16) 14 October 1998 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin5–0 Euro 2000 Qualifier 1 (17) 9 October 1999 Philip II Arena, Skopje SkopjeSkopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
1–1 Euro 2000 Qualifier 1 (18) 4 June 2000 Giants Stadium Giants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, East Rutherford2–1 U.S. Cup 1 (19) 6 October 2001 Lansdowne Road Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, Dublin4–0 World Cup Qualifier 2002 World Cup2002 World Cup may refer to:*Alpine skiing – 2002 Alpine Skiing World Cup*Athletics – 2002 IAAF World Cup*Field Hockey:** 2002 Men's World Hockey Cup** 2002 Women's World Hockey Cup...
1 (20)
Managerial record
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League... |
 |
25 July 2006 | 30 August 2006 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 16.67 |
Club
ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
- Football league cup: 1987
Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
- Football League Division 1 winner: 1998–99