Cult Heroes.....Part 1

Mick Quinn

Cult Heroes is about those players who have retained legendary status over the years, albeit for their dodgy haircut, their terrible footballing ability or the fact you wonder how on earth they managed to become a professional in the beautiful game.

Thankfully, Mick Quinn, our first Cult Hero, ticks most of those boxes. The former scouser Centre Forward is a throwback to the days when being a footballer was about being just that, being able to kick a ball. He was from a generation from long before the new era where being a primed athlete was equally as important. Mick Quinn got paid to put the ball in the back of the onion bag, which he did on a regular basis. It is often said that a good striker will always “finish his dinner”. However, Quinn perhaps took this a bit too literally, as after finishing his dinner, he would then proceed to finish everyone else’s for them. Hence him looking like Bob Carolgees’ long lost twin. For those of the younger generation, Bob Carolgees was the rather portly sidekick of Cilla Black on early nineties show Surprise Surprise. Below is a picture of Bob Carolgees with his favourite dog (no jokes about Cilla please)

Quinn’s goal scoring record was impressive, as he rattled in 54 goals in 121 apps at Portsmouth before he moved to Newcastle where he scored 59 goals in 115 matches. A brief spell at Coventry resulted in 25 goals in 64 matches. It was often said that Mick Quinn was the “fastest player over a yard”, (perhaps that should be “fattest”). In 2003, he released his own autobiography “Who ate all the pies?” in reference to his not so strapping physique. When scoring a hat-trick in games, many players like to keep the ball as a souvenir, but it may have been possible that Quinn instead decided to eat his. In fact, the closest a player like Mick Quinn would get to a football team these days would be as a man selling burgers outside the football stadium, although there are strong rumours that Mark Viduka has modelled his game on Quinn, right down to his diet.

Mick Quinn…………WE SALUTE YOU!!!!!!!

Sunil