Roy Keane would have been BOX OFFICE but Alex Neil has proved to be the right choice as manager, says Sunderland legend Niall Quinn - as the Mackems try to FINALLY get out of League One after four agonising years in Wembley final with Wycombe

Niall Quinn reclines and ponders a sliding doors moment in yet another season of classic Sunderland drama.

Back in February, a certain Roy Keane looked set for a sensational return to the Stadium of Light dugout. It was a story that sent shockwaves reverberating through the club and the city.

Sunderland's situation was hardly dreadful when Lee Johnson was sacked after a humiliating 6-0 defeat at Bolton - they were third in League One, after all - but the expectation was always that the Black Cats would be purring towards promotion.

Niall Quinn (left) was the chairman who appointed Roy Keane (right) as Sunderland manager in 2006 - Keane almost returned to the Stadium of Light back in February

But instead Alex Neil got the job and has steered the Black Cats into the play-off final

'Roy is box office and always has been,' says Quinn, who it's fair to say hasn't always seen eye-to-eye with his former Republic of Ireland team-mate despite being the chairman who brought him to Sunderland the first time round in 2006.