Niall Quinn feels former Sunderland boss Howard Wilkinson 'cheated' the Black Cats' talented crop of young players in the 2002/03 season.
Wilkinson, who guided Leeds to the league title in 1992, was appointed Sunderland boss 10 years later but was sacked in March 2003, with the Black Cats hurtling towards relegation.
The 76-year-old followed the highly successful Peter Reid into the Stadium of Light hotseat but quickly alienated fans and players alike.
Quinn was discussing Wilkinson's tenure on former Sunderland team-mate Matt Piper's 'Positive Vibes' podcast, with Piper one of a talented group of youngsters coming through on Wearside.
And the former Sunderland forward explained to Piper why he felt he 'lost touch' with the youngsters during Wilkinson's brief tenure in charge.
"I took great pride in what happened to the younger players at Sunderland and if you remember we used to play head tennis in the lawn outside of the cafeteria," Quinn explained.
"We had a great buzz going. The first team would always play against the young kids and I took great pride in organising that.
"I felt it was a great way of giving young players belief that one day they could make it.
"One day, Howard Wilkinson walked in and told the groundsman to clear all of that out.
"That was the day I lost touch with players like yourself coming through and Kevin Kyle, Tommy Butler, Cliffy Byrne.
"We had some fabulous players, a terrific bunch and I just felt they got cheated a little bit.
"They were on the right path, the right trajectory and Peter Reid leaving and Howard Wilkinson coming was a major blow for them."
