Quinn - We will miss Keane

25 February 2009 16:09
iall Quinn has admitted that Sunderland's profile is likely to suffer following the departure of manager Roy Keane.[LNB] Keane left the Stadium of Light in December after more than two years at the helm, with Ricky Sbragia stepping in as his replacement.[LNB]When Keane took charge of the Black Cats they were struggling at the bottom of the Championship and Quinn remains grateful for everything his compatriot did for the club.[LNB]Quinn also accepts that Sunderland will miss Keane's box office appeal, with the former Manchester United player often making headlines thanks to his forthright views.[LNB]TeamQuinn told the Sunderland Echo: "We needed box office at that time when we were at the bottom of the Championship and at a low ebb, and Roy brought it - and then some![LNB]"But, at this stage of the journey, I believe that box office is neither here nor there. It's all about the team now, about improving the side and the results.[LNB]"Now doing that is all down to Ricky, but it's also about how we support Ricky and how we help give him the best chance we can.[LNB]"We don't need the sort of worldwide audience that we originally needed when[LNB]Roy first took over and we were struggling in the Championship.[LNB]"Situations where the world's media would descend on the place were a major help to us then.[LNB]"I have to admit that Roy Keane's press conferences, their unpredictability and the box office nature of it, yes, we miss that too.[LNB]"But it's now all about us getting up the table and what we do on the pitch more than anything else."[LNB]ProgressSunderland have moved into a more secure mid-table position since Sbragia was appointed and Quinn is confident the club will continue to progress.[LNB]He said: "Our aim is to keep the club going, maybe to look at European football.[LNB]"At the moment, our aim has got to be to somehow get ourselves into the top half of the Premier League.[LNB]"There's no reason why we shouldn't be saying that, and with the squad that we have now, with their ages and their profiles, it's not unrealistic.[LNB]"No-one foresaw Roy and the demise and the six weeks we'd had where we weren't winning, but we have come through and Ricky needs to be applauded for that."[LNB]

Source: SKY_Sports