We couldn’t claim to have a great review section without reviewing the greatest man in the world’s book could we? So I delved into my memory bank and reproduced the first moment I picked up Niall Quinn – The Autobiography.

However the combination of entering the ‘cool’ era when I was only 15 combined with the fact I couldn’t read didn’t help so I waited until September of last year to fully appreciate the big man’s linguistics. I figured I could prevent the half an hour of boredom I got every day from commuting to university and turn it into 30 minutes of joy by letting my eyes and Quinny’s words do all the talking.

To be honest I expected a perfect rendition of Quinny’s life in an unblemished account of his highs and super highs. However this autobiography was an honest and eye opening account of our heroes life, see through the eyes of the man who experienced it, it really is a thought-provoking and overwhelming autobiography.

The book criss-crosses between two stages of Quinn’s football life, the beginning at Arsenal and the end with Ireland . As usual Quinn gives himself little credit and constantly reminds everyone how he is simply one of us and the fact he got a lucky break doesn’t change anything. Yes he is the man of the people but credit where credits due Quinny you’re a legend.

He talks in depth about how he spent his days in London drinking and gambling, gambling and drinking and basically doing anything related to alcohol and betting slips. In the book Quinn isn’t afraid to say how some of his drinking and gambling mates consequently had problems due to their lifestyle, with Tony Adams and Paul Merson frequently mentioned in a saddened mood.

The big man then moves onto his time at Manchester City and the birth of the ‘Disco Pants’ while constantly switching to Saipan and the famous McCarthy Keane bust-up. Through out his explanation of events he remained unbiased and fair to both sides which perfectly sums up the man and his attitude to everyone.

The story of the book is without a doubt Quinny’s ‘fight’ with team-mate Steve McMahon in 1992. I won’t spoil the story for you but both players end up in Peter Reid’s office the next day with McMahon suffering a broken nose and having to pay for a plate-glass window in a tailor shop somewhere in Italy . Unbelievable stuff.

He came to Sunderland on a last chance saloon and despite some injury setbacks I think it’s fair to say Niall Quinn has been one of the club’s greatest players and would have been regardless of whether he was chairman of the club or not.

It’s a shame Quinny couldn’t talk about his feelings leading up to the takeover and how it all began, but if the man has any sense, he’ll definitely release a more updated version of his life a.s.a.p.

James Henderson

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