Niall Quinn is confident his Mackem debut as manager - and chairman - will not turn into a disaster. Quinn is to combine the roles of manager and chairman of the Black Cats as he looks to lift the club out of the doldrums after their catastrophic season in the Premiership last term.
Despite being relegated with a record low of 15 points, there is optimism among Sunderland fans their former footballing hero can conjure up magic off the field as he once did on it.
Quinn and his consortium already have the backing of the club's major shareholders, with the hope the smaller ones will now follow suit. The deadline for the share acquisition scheme is Thursday, with the hope the takeover will be completed, and with Quinn as chairman.