Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has defended his managerial record ahead of Roy Keane's arrival last season.

"We were brilliant in pre-season, winning all the games and I thought everything was good!" he told The Journal. "It shows you it counts for nothing in the end."

Quinn's team opened the competitive campaign with five straight defeats, including an embarrassing League Cup exit to Bury, then bottom of League Two.

"We should have won nearly every game I was manager for but the bottle went because there was this losing mentality," he recalled. "Thankfully Roy Keane came and banished that.

"Roy was our first choice (for manager) in May, long before we ever took over. It didn't quite happen at that time but thankfully after the first three games we got in contact with him and he felt ready.

"From that day on things moved at the club. We beat West Brom - everyone forgets I did win a (league) game, by the way! - and he brought what I knew he'd bring. He's made people at the club feel great again.

"I've just got to make sure the structures are still there for him to keep building, keep going and keep allowing his brilliance to grow."