Ask any Sunderland fan who their best striker of the modern era is and they’ll probably say Kevin Phillips. Ask them again, and Niall Quinn is likely to be the answer.
When Sunderland were promoted to the Premier League in 1999 after a dominant campaign in the Championship under Peter Reid, they made waves.
From there, the Black Cats immediately registered their best ever Premier League finish, coming in seventh place with a record 58-point haul.
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At the moment, it looks like Regis Le Bris could surpass that achievement this season. But, it’s worth remembering how special that Sunderland squad was, and Niall Quinn was at the heart of it.
Sunderland badge.
Photo by Sunderland AFC/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Joining Sunderland was a last-minute decision for Niall Quinn
After spending time at Arsenal and Manchester City, Niall Quinn had made quite the name for himself in the English game. But, when he joined Sunderland in 1996, he was pushing 30 and thinking about winding down his career.
In fact, speaking on Premier League Productions’ Extra Time this week, Quinn recalled a story about how he very nearly moved all the way to Thailand instead of heading to Wearside, before one phone call changed his mind.
He said: “At the end of my career at Man City I was heading to Thailand to play, there was nothing on the horizon. I got a call from Peter Reid who said ‘come up to Sunderland and give us a hand, we’ve just got promoted.’ I was pleased someone wanted me.”
Not long after joining, though, disaster struck in the form of a very serious injury. But, persistence paid off and Quinn went on to make history with the Mackems.
He added: “Five games in I did my cruciate. It was a long road back. At that time the PFA sent me forms to quit, what I would have to do and how to access my pension, etc. Peter Reid said let’s go and see another surgeon, so we went to see someone in Bradford, he had a sports car and his registration was ‘ACL 1’, so I thought this guy might be good and within eight weeks I was back.
“I had an Indian Summer of a career that became my most treasured time in football. We had excellent players and a team spirit where you can’t measure it. There was something very special in this group.”
He ended up playing 209 times for Sunderland, scoring 62 goals and forming a terrifying partnership with Kevin Phillips to guide the Black Cats to an historic league finish.
Wilson Isidor points at the Sunderland badge after scoring against Aston Villa
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Wilson Isidor now looking to emulate Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips
Sunderland don’t quite have that dream strike partnership right now, but they do have Wilson Isidor. The big Frenchman has hit four goals in ten games so far this season and looks destined to break double digits; not a bad return for a striker in his first year in the top flight.
With Brian Brobbey chasing fitness and form and Eliezer Mayenda still recovering from injury, the onus is very much on Isidor to carry the Sunderland attack at the moment.
We understand Sunderland want to sign a new striker in January to supplement that attacking roster. But, if Isidor can score anywhere near the 14 goals Quinn bagged in that 1999/2000 season, he’ll have done his duty and Sunderland will have a great chance of landing a top ten finish this term.