Urban legends come out to play

Dublin Docklands festival of football: Mary Hannigan sees some stars of the past coaching the stars of the future and hears from Niall Quinn about a project close to his heart

If, Niall Quinn admits, himself, Steve Staunton, Denis Irwin, Alan Kelly, or any of the coaching team that turned up at Tolka Rovers yesterday to help out in the Dublin Docklands Festival of Football, had any notions about themselves they'd soon be brought down to size by the 120 eight-to-13-year-olds who'd arrived by the coachload from the city's Docklands area.

Denis who? The youngest of the participants, after all, were in or around one when Irwin collected a Champions League winner's medal. As for Italia 90? It wouldn't mean much to them Niall, would it? "Niall Quinn means nothing to them," he laughs.

But even the Republic of Ireland manager is struggling for recognition here.

"One of them said to Stan (Staunton), 'You're something to do with Wexford, aren't ya?' So any of us with egos, who think we've done well, can be brought down to earth around here very quickly."

On the front "mini-pitch" Kelly, the former Ireland goalkeeper and now Staunton's goalkeeping coach, is giggling furiously as he watches an eight-year-old set off in celebration after scoring a goal, forefinger pointing skyward, a la Alan Shearer, with a touch of the Thierry Henry strut thrown in. His team-mate sets off to congratulate him, high fives him with gloved hands (copyright: Wayne Rooney).

"A lot of the coaching we get asked to do is very regimental," says Quinn. "What we have here is the chance to meet 120 characters from the inner city who'd buy and sell you in two minutes; they're full of charm. We were trying to pick a team to maybe go to England to play a game. I asked one of the kids, who was looking quite good, what age he was - they all have to be under 12. His reply was, 'What age do you want me to be?'"

Quinn has been involved in the festival since it began four years ago.

"Back then it was 60, 70 kids running around like little Indians," he says. "We had to try and make sense of it all, get them on a programme, not just to be better footballers but to help their life skills. They come from an area that, in many ways, has been left behind in the progress that's been made in the city and they're standing up for where they're from, they're building their character. I'm very proud of them. It's probably the most enjoyable thing I do throughout the calendar."

Lunchtime. Quinn, Staunton, Irwin, Kelly and the rest are abandoned on their mini-pitches as 120 kids make beelines for the food stand, the speediest snapping up fried chicken and crisps, those less blessed with pace having to settle for rolls and apples.

If his Irish consortium is successful in taking over Sunderland, and if, by any chance, he starts next season as the club's manager, Quinn may make note of those who dined on fried chicken at Tolka Rovers yesterday - pace, after all, is half the battle in football, and Sunderland need all the speedy young legs they can muster.

"I'm prevented for another few days speaking about it in detail, but it's no secret - I am trying," he says of his efforts to take control of the club relegated from the Premiership last Friday. "But it's not simply about putting money on the table and making an offer for a football club. We have to prove to ourselves, before we go near the club or any fans, that we're capable of running the club.

"And it's a jungle, as I found out in the last three weeks. It's not a simple thing at all, so that's what I'm in the middle of at the moment, making sure that myself and my group are capable of doing a job that this club deserves, and until we know that we can't possibly approach Sunderland. I don't know what they're going to look for moneywise, so I can't say we have the funding in place, but my worries now wouldn't be financial at this stage - unless Sunderland go mad."

Why, you'd have to wonder, would Quinn want to get involved, at boardroom and/or managerial level, with a club so hopelessly in debt, and on course to finish the season with the fewest points ever amassed by a Premiership team? Well, he explains, the city and its football club just captured his heart during his playing days there.

"I wouldn't be looking to do this at any other place in the world," he says. "The Sunderland people are just exceptional people. I've nothing but admiration for them.

"You can stretch back to when Margaret Thatcher literally cut them off, closed all the mines, closed the shipyards, and left them with nothing. And consecutive governments, for years, forgot about the place, but the people's spirit shone through. And it was football that got them through; the club is the city's identity.

"Even on Monday Chelsea only had 800 more in their crowd than Sunderland - and Sunderland are down at the bottom of the league. It's an incredible, passionate place, one that's been hurt over the last year or so, and it's still recovering from mistakes made three or four years ago. To me what's needed is a new injection of hope, to give the people belief again, to see the club take off again.

"I've seen it at its height, packed stadium, full of passion. In my 20 years all my fun was had at Sunderland. It's a very special place and I'd like to think if I got involved we'd be capable of recreating that."

Would he consider becoming manager of Sunderland if his consortium's bid succeeds?

"I'm afraid of nothing at that club," he says. "When I was up there it was like being on a magic carpet when things were going well. The emotion of the people when they're in good form and the club is going well is something to behold. Newcastle get 53,000 at the moment and everybody thinks they're far bigger than Sunderland, but I know if this club goes right we'll be bigger than Newcastle. That's what attaches me to it - it's the potential, it's the people, it's their spirit.

"Sunderland will decide, ultimately, whether this goes through, but I believe there's a will there from the people in charge to do the best for the club. There's been no contact so far, we just want to have everything right when we approach them so that they can say, 'Yeah, you guys are the ones to take this club forward'. This isn't one of those things where we're trying to shame them in the press and they're putting the barricades up. There is strong will on all sides to do this right, for the sake of the club."