Departing Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia admits he would probably not have taken the job in the first place if it had not been Niall Quinn offering it.

NIALL QUINN will look for a born winner – with no frills – when he starts the search for Sunderland’s new manager in earnest.

AS celebrations go it was hardly a case of popping the champagne corks, but then that just isn’t Ricky Sbragia’s style.

SUNDERLAND boss Ricky Sbragia is confident the Black Cats will be playing Premier League football next season.

SUNDERLAND manager Ricky Sbragia was again left to rue sloppy defending after his team slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Portsmouth which keeps them in the relegation mire.

Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia has urged strikers Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cisse to adapt to shake off the shackles placed on them by opposition teams.

NIALL QUINN might have no inclination to return to management, having notched five defeats in six matches in his spell as caretaker back in 2006, but the Sunderland chairman clearly hasn’t lost all his powers of dressing room persuasion.

FOR Roy Keane the last straw was when Niall Quinn asked him to put a smile on the faces of his Sunderland players.

Sunderland 0 Everton 2

Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia has hit back at the perceived recent slights of his predecessor Roy Keane by advising the Corkman to focus on his own job at Ipswich.

A three-goal hammering at the hands of the Premier League’s bottom club would be galling enough at the best of times for Sunderland.

ROY KEANE’S successor as Sunderland manager predicts the former Black Cats boss will do “extremely well” at Ipswich but remains to be convinced if the Ireland legend has learned any lessons from past mistakes.

ANDY REID is not known as the volcanic type.

SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn has thrown his support behind manager Ricky Sbragia and dismissed rumours he is planning to replace him in the near future.

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has thrown his support behind manager Ricky Sbragia and dismissed rumours he is planning to replace him in the near future.

REMEMBER Dave O’Leary!

Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia could be without captain Dean Whitehead for tomorrow’s clash with Premier League leaders Manchester United.

SUNDERLAND boss Ricky Sbragia knows he could be fighting for his job as the season draws to a close.

RELEGATION battles are full of hoary old cliches, but the one that states that there is always a team that makes a late, kamikaze plummet into danger is currently causing sleepless nights by the thousands in Sunderland.

West Ham 2 Sunderland 0

Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia is hoping winger Carlos Edwards can help provide the ammunition to ease the club away from the fight against relegation.

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has backed £32.5m man Robinho to hit the goal trail again soon following his spot-kick nightmare against Sunderland yesterday.

SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn has revealed his players will take a 40% wage cut if they are relegated.

Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia could welcome back defenders Anton Ferdinand and Nyron Nosworthy for Sunday’s trip to Manchester City.

IF Ricky Sbragia could claim a fairytale start to his managerial career at Sunderland, the last two weeks have provided the most painful of reality checks.

Sunderland 1 Wigan 2

DJIBRIL CISSE’S future will be thrashed out on the day Sunderland secure their Premier League status.

Djibril Cisse’s future will be thrashed out the day Sunderland secure their Barclays Premier League status.

RICKY SBRAGIA has warned the Premier League’s big spenders that Sunderland does not exist to breed good players for them.

DJIBRIL CISSE’S proposed permanent move to Sunderland could be threatened by the global credit crunch after his price tag rose by up to £3million (€3.4m).

Djibril Cisse’s proposed permanent move to Sunderland could be threatened by the global credit crunch after his price tag rose by up to £3m (€3.36m).

SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn last night admitted his club will miss Roy Keane’s box office appeal. Quinn is delighted with how his compatriot’s successor, Ricky Sbragia has picked up the baton since Keane’s departure in December, and is confident he is the right man to take the Black Cats forward.

Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia is keeping his fingers crossed that striker Djibril Cisse will be fit for next week’s tough trip to Liverpool.

SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn is confident the club remains on track to achieve its dreams despite Roy Keane’s departure.

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn is confident the club remains on track to achieve its dreams despite Roy Keane’s departure.

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has predicted manager Ricky Sbragia will remain in charge at the Stadium of Light beyond his current 18-month contract.

GIVEN that Roy Keane’s resignation from Sunderland was apparently provoked by the notion of encouraging his players to smile during training, perhaps it was for the best the Cork man did not bear witness to their post-match ritual on Saturday.

RICKY SBRAGIA feels Sunderland is a happier place to manage after ridding the club of the dressing room dissenters and whisperers.

Dwight Yorke has risked incurring the wrath of Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia after insisting he will take a full part in the build-up to Trinidad and Tobago’s World Cup qualifiers next month.