But he says they deserve his undying gratitude for the way they have supported and continue to support him behind the scenes.

He said: "We've got a great group of guys supporting the club. It is not an individual thing. We have given ourselves a chance. That's all.

"There are some nice structures in place now. We have to support Roy Keane as much as we can.

"It is not about having people being photographed in the crowd or kudos. We don't do that at our club.

"We provide, keep out of the limelight, let Roy develop his career and, please God, the stock of the club will go up."

The arrival of American investor Ellis Short at the club as majority shareholder has given Sunderland a massive boost and seems to be pivotal in allowing the club to go forward – that includes making progress on Roy Keane's contract and having ambitious plans in place for the future.

But such issues are not something Quinn can go into, having signed a confidentiality agreement.

What the chairman does want to do though is salute the support of all those who have helped.

He said: "The guys have been great. Superb. But it is not about them. One shouldn't stand out above the other.

"The great thing about it is that they trust me, they don't interfere and they are happy to keep doing that.

"I trust Roy and I am happy to keep supporting him. The mix is right.

"Roy needs support and needs a structure – I have got it behind the scenes. I try to put it all together and have a good support structure so everybody knows what is happening.

"We are happy with our lot. But when you start feeling happy in football, and patting yourself on the back, it soon comes back to knock you.

"So, it is full steam ahead from now on. It is always going to be hard work. That is the way it is."

And the reality is that Quinn and his backers are determined to press on with their mission to lift and revive the club's reputation and standing in the years ahead.

He said: "We were a yo-yo club but we are hoping that we will not be known as that in three or four years time. That is about as good an aim as we have.

"The first part in our aim was to get out of the Championship; the second part was not to go straight back down – which we achieved.
"Now the third part is to get up the league.

"We are not going to be playing Champions League football next year, let's be serious. I don't know where we will be in three or four years.

"But we have a good business model now for the next couple of years.

"We are not guaranteed, of course, to follow the right journey, but it means that the foundations are good and, all being well, we can help to push Roy and the squad on."