SUNDERLAND club captain Niall Quinn dismissed disparaging remarks by former team-mate Don Hutchison last night as "mischief making".

But the Republic of Ireland striker added: "We won't need a team talk the next time we play West Ham."

Hutchison, transferred to Upton Park last month for £5.25m, said in a national newspaper he had advised former England B international Trevor Sinclair off a move to Wearside, complaining that his own game had suffered last season because Peter Reid's team played "route one" football.

Quinn refused to get ruffled by the comments and said: "I know Don - he is a bit of a scallywag and a chancer at times.

"He'll have thrown in those remarks to have a bit of a crack at us - it is his sense of humour.

"It will be something the fans will get upset about, and possibly Peter Reid.

"Don is a smashing player but all the time he's doing these little jokes.

"What he's said is not something sinister - it's just mischief.

"But having said that, I'm sure we won't need a team talk the next time we play West Ham."

On a more serious note, Quinn rebuffed the suggestion that Sunderland were a "route-one" team.

He said: "He is wrong - we have some great players here.

"When I first came to the club we might have played route-one football but it's nothing like that now."

Reid was also unperturbed by Hutchison's comments. He said: "I find it confusing. He says his play deteriorated last season yet he still came to me looking for a pay rise!

"I won't lose any sleep over what he's said."

Quinn is hoping to prove that in a tough game at Aston Villa tomorrow, and he admits the team has not played well this season.

The big Irishman, who got the match-winner against Blackburn as well as clearing a shot off his own goal-line, said: "Those three points last week were important, but we haven't clicked into gear yet.

Everyone know we can play a lot better and possible we just need a spark, like Kevin Phillips scoring a great goal, to get us going.

"We're not a lousy side by an means, but we can do better.

"We are very much a team, rather than a group of individuals, and I think we need something exciting to start things off. Villa Park would be a good place for it to happen."

Quinn does not object to being given the role of substitute while £3.6m French international Lilian Laslandes forges a partnership with Phillips.

And he feels the striker's first goal for the club in the 4-2 Worthington Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in midweek will help him immensely.

He said: "Lilian's off and running now - you could see he was a lot bubblier in training.

"He has a role to play and the rest of us not firing as a team certainly didn't help him.

"If we can click into gear we will see him at his best because he is a very dangerous player.

"When things start to go well for him teams will have to watch out."

Quinn was appreciative of the applause he got from the crowd in last week's home win over Blackburn.

He said: "They gave me a huge cheer when I came on and an even bigger one coming off at the end of the game. It is lovely."

Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen could play through the pain barrier to face his former Danish team mate Peter Scheichel at Villa Park tomorrow.

Sorensen answered the call last week when he faced Blackburn Rovers only seven days after breaking his nose against Northern Ireland and he could be in action again against Villa, despite undergoing surgery at the start of the week to straighten the bone.

Sorensen missed the cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, when 21-year-old Michael Ingham stepped up for his debut.

But if Sorensen is ruled out tomorrow Austrian goalkeeper Jurgen Macho, recovered from a thigh injury, would deputise.

Sorensen, however, is anxious to play against Villa and his old friend Schmeichel.

Reid expects his side to react positively to the defeat at the hands of First Division opponents, but he knows it will be tough against an in-form Villa side which brought off the shock of the day last week by winning 3-1 at Liverpool.

Reid feels he has enough cover in midfield to allow Alex Rae to join Wolverhampton Wanderers in a £1.2m deal, and Argentinian Nicolas Medina could find himself on the subs bench at Villa Park.

West Ham's England B winger Trevor Sinclair is top of Reid's wanted list, though it would mean breaking the club record transfer fee to get him.

Reid confirmed: "Trevor Sinclair is a player I admire and there has been contact between myself and their manager Glenn Roeder."

l Former Rangers defender Daniel Prodan, a Romanian international available on a free transfer, is having a trial with Sunderland.

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