Ricky Sbragia thanks Niall Quinn for Sunderland chance

The Scot stood down as manager within minutes of guiding the club to Barclays Premier League safety despite Sunday's 3-2 home defeat by Chelsea.

He was handed the reins in December following a successful four-game spell as caretaker, but won only three of the 19 league games the club played after his appointment.

Sbragia was a reluctant recruit to the cause, and has revealed only Quinn could have talked him into it.

He said: "If it had been somebody else, I probably wouldn't have taken the job, if it wasn't for Niall speaking to me and having a chat and looking to the future.

"This is what he wanted to build and I always through we were good enough to stay in the Premier League.

"I never dreamt we would be in this situation on the last day, but all my decisions have been for Sunderland Football Club.

"I have been here as a coach many years, but we have got to kick on, we have got to make another appointment and I am really looking forward to next year."

Sbragia, who is now expected to play a role in player recruitment at the club, decided to call it a day in order to allow the club to draft in a bigger name once American tycoon Ellis Short completes his buy-out later this week.

However, he insists he has no regrets about taking the job.

He said: "No, not at all. I could have ducked out of the issue and been happy just being a coach.
"But when you get an offer to manage Sunderland Football Club, you can't really refuse it, to be honest with you.

"I tried my best - my record in wins and losses hasn't been the best, but we have stayed in the Premier League and that's what it is all about."
Quinn is expected to confirm within the next 48 hours that Short has bought out the Drumaville consortium which took over at the Stadium of Light three years ago.

He will then set about the process of recruiting a new manager with names already being thrown into the hat, although he has not even drawn up a shortlist yet.

However, the Irishman admits he is looking forward to the challenge of taking the next step in the club's development after a tense conclusion to a difficult season.

He said: "We are a club which should be doing better and then when it doesn't work out, the tension gets into players. Most people would agree that.

"It takes men to break through that and it will take a big name to get those men, it will take a big name to roll out that mentality that we require.

"All the components are in place. You see the stadium here, you see the training ground, you see the fan-base, we are in the Premier League - we have got so much going for us now."