Source: SKY_Sports
Quinn - Sbragia is safe
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has quashed reports suggesting Ricky Sbragia's future at the club is in the balance.
Rumours have begun to circulate that former West Ham boss Alan Curbishley could be on his way to the Stadium of Light in the not too distant future.
However, Quinn insists Sbragia has the full backing of the Black Cats' board and has ruled out any possibility of a managerial change being implemented over the summer.
"I don't know where these rumours have come from. I guess the people who start them don't understand that it can be harmful and a bit mischievous," the Irishman told Sky Sports News.
"I did give Ricky a ring when it started to come out in the public eye and I can assure you that this club is 100 per cent behind Ricky. I said it when Roy Keane was around that I have to be like a team-mate, it is a partnership almost.
"We must remember he had no players to sign in the market because he took over on the eve of the window. He got a couple of loan players in, but he hasn't really had a grasp of what it's like to be a manager, in terms of doing it his way.
"We have asked him to do a difficult job and for me it would be great if we stayed up, go off and have a review and plan for something big next year. But there is no truth that we are looking for anyone else. It's Ricky Sbragia's job and he's our manager.
"He has another year on his contract so, in an ideal world, we will get ourselves in the Premier League next year and deal with everything.
"We hope to be able to back him with funds over the summer and be in the Premier League next year. That's what I want and I see a really good chance of that happening."
Sunderland have six games remaining in which to secure their top-flight status for next term, starting with a must-win meeting with Hull City on Saturday.
They currently sit just two points above the drop zone, and have suffered four consecutive defeats, but Quinn is confident the Black Cats will still be mixing it alongside English football's elite in 2009/10.
"After our performance against Manchester United last Saturday there seems to be a renewed sense of optimism," he said.
"The connection is back between the players and the fans. The good thing about the mood here is that there is a belief we can do it. Things are starting to look up for us.
"We set a standard for ourselves last Saturday and now we have to show that again for the last six games. There is tension all over the place, but this week it seems to be a bit more spirited and the players are a bit more confident."
