Tweet
Di Canio rides to the rescue as Sunderland gamble to secure Premier League future
By Colin Young
PUBLISHED:15:11, 31 March 2013| UPDATED:21:56, 31 March 2013
Comments (84)
Share
.
.
TODAY'S POLL
Were Sunderland right to sack Martin O'Neill?
Yes
No
VOTE.
.
All polls..
Sunderland have gambled on their Barclays Premier League status and appointed the controversial Paolo Di Canio to replace Martin O’Neill as head coach.
Di Canio travelled to Sunderland on Sunday for talks and is expected to meet his new players on Monday and take his first training session after a sensational weekend on Wearside which saw the 44-year-old Italian replace O’Neill within 24 hours.
Sunderland owner Ellis Short, who made first contact with Di Canio last week, acted swiftly to sack O’Neill after Sunderland’s 1-0 defeat to champions elect Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.
In the driving seat: Paolo Di Canio has been named as the new boss of Premier League side Sunderland
SUNDERLAND RUN-IN
Chelsea v Sunderland - Sunday, April 7
Newcastle v Sunderland - Sunday, April 14
Sunderland v Everton - Saturday, April 20
Aston Villa v Sunderland - Monday, April 29
Sunderland v Stoke - Saturday, May 4
Sunderland v Southampton - Sunday, May 12
Tottenham v Sunderland - Sunday, May 19
.
Short said: 'Paolo is hugely enthused by the challenge that lies ahead of him. He is passionate, driven and raring to get started. The sole focus of everyone for the next seven games will be to ensure we gain enough points to maintain our top flight status. I think that the chances of that are greatly increased with Paolo joining us.
'Our fans have shown tremendous patience and understanding this season. They have continued to back the team in huge numbers, both home and away and that is something that continues to inspire all of us in our drive to give them the successful club they deserve. That remains our primary aim.'
However, the club are facing a backlash after David Miliband resigned from his role as vice-chairman and non-executive director of Sunderland due to new manager Di Canio's 'past political statements'.
Meanwhile, supporters threatened to withdraw season tickets and boycott the club over Di Canio’s fascist views.
The Rome-born 44-year-old has never hidden his political views, in fact rather revelled in them with salutes to Lazio fans, but they are repugnant to some Sunderland supporters who are proud of the club’s working class and socialist background. The Stadium of Light was built on the last Wearside pit and has close associations with the remaining miners’ lodges in the region, as well as retaining labour MP David Milliband on the board.
Dave Bowman, chairman of the supporters’ club Greater Manchester branch, said he was stepping down from his position and would not be returning to the stadium while Di Canio was in charge.
Mr Bowman, a Sunderland fan since his first game in 1958 and season ticket holder since the Stadium of Light opened in 1997, believes Short may not understand the deep feelings of some supporters.
He said: `It feels like a bereavement. The backbone of the support is working class and this is an appalling appointment.
'How can we have a Nelson Mandela Day at the stadium and the following day appoint a self-confessed fascist with, I believe, a Mussolini tattoo? It is hypocrisy.’
An email campaign launched on Sunday was gathering some momentum but Sunderland will hope the refusal to renew season tickets among supporters will not.
Short and O’Neill had been in conflict for some time over the former Aston Villa manager’s January buys and spoke on the telephone several hours after the game because Short, an American hedge fund billionaire, was not at the Stadium of Light for Sunderland’s fifth defeat in their last seven games. O’Neill was told his contract was being terminated.
O’Neill and his wife Geraldine, then travelled to the club’s Academy of Light training ground, which is within two miles of the stadium, to clear his desk. The pair, who had recently moved into a new house in Durham, are now expected to return to their family base in the south.
Behind you: Martin O'Neill was sacked after Sunderland lost to Manchester City on Saturday
The former Leicester City and Celtic boss had been in charge for just 15 months on Wearside after he was appointed by Short as Steve Bruce’s successor, within weeks of Niall Quinn’s departure as club chairman.
Although he made an immediate impact to guide the club away from trouble before Christmas, and took them to the FA Cup quarter-finals, they failed to win a league game after they were knocked out by Everton.
In the summer, O’Neill signed Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson for combined £23million. Scotland international Fletcher, who was relegated with Burnley and Wolves has been a sensation and without his 11 goals Sunderland would be bottom of the Premier League. Sunderland-born winger Johnson has struggled and lost his England place under Roy Hodgson, even though O’Neill persevered with him.
Short also funded the winter window signings of Danny Graham, who has failed to score in seven games since his £5.5million move from Swansea City, and Alfred N’Diaye, a £5million French midfielder, who was playing in Turkey, who was dropped for the miserable draw with Norwich. Senegal defender Kader Mangane, discovered in Saudi Arabia, has not even played for the club.
In his programme notes on Saturday, Short wrote: `I am very aware that our supporters, who have backed us week in, week out, in such large numbers, aren’t happy and I full understand why.
High hopes: O'Neill's arrival in December 2011 was greeted with delight
Money matters: O'Neill had been backed with major signings like Adam Johnson
'There is nobody that is happy with our current position and the way our season is going. The reality is that we have a fight on our hands. We know we are capable of playing better and we know we need to begin doing so now.’ O’Neill, 61, has managed 893 league games in his career, compared to di Canio’s 95 but Short is clearly hoping the arrival of the former West Ham star will give the players a lift to ensure they avoid relegation, with the multi-billion pound TV deal at stake next season.
Saturday’s defeat, which was followed by Wigan Athletic’s win over Norwich City, has left Sunderland just a point outside the bottom three with Chelsea up next for a side without top scorer Steven Fletcher and captain Lee Cattermole for the rest of the season.
Sunderland’s players were unaware of their manager’s fate when they left the Stadium of Light on Saturday, although they had been aware of the pressure on their manager who won 16 of his 55 games in charge, drawing 17 and losing 22.
They haven’t won since January 19 - at Wigan of all places. This is their second, realistically their third, crisis of the season. And now they are in embroiled in a relegation fight with one of the toughest run-ins of all the strugglers.
But with their livelihoods on the line, Sunderland players will now face a very different management style with Di Canio who was in charge at Swindon Town for nearly two years and took the club out of League Two last season. He resigned from the County Ground in February after a fall-out with the board over finances. But his well-publicised bust-ups with players, his own coaching staff, directors and supporters seem to have washed over Short. All he cares about is whether Sunderland can stay up.
And he has gambled on Di Canio to make sure it happens.
Had enough: Ellis Short made the decision to sack O'Neill
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2P9tLkxbd
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
By Colin Young
PUBLISHED:15:11, 31 March 2013| UPDATED:21:56, 31 March 2013
Comments (84)
Share
.
.
TODAY'S POLL
Were Sunderland right to sack Martin O'Neill?
Yes
No
VOTE.
.
All polls..
Sunderland have gambled on their Barclays Premier League status and appointed the controversial Paolo Di Canio to replace Martin O’Neill as head coach.
Di Canio travelled to Sunderland on Sunday for talks and is expected to meet his new players on Monday and take his first training session after a sensational weekend on Wearside which saw the 44-year-old Italian replace O’Neill within 24 hours.
Sunderland owner Ellis Short, who made first contact with Di Canio last week, acted swiftly to sack O’Neill after Sunderland’s 1-0 defeat to champions elect Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.
In the driving seat: Paolo Di Canio has been named as the new boss of Premier League side Sunderland
SUNDERLAND RUN-IN
Chelsea v Sunderland - Sunday, April 7
Newcastle v Sunderland - Sunday, April 14
Sunderland v Everton - Saturday, April 20
Aston Villa v Sunderland - Monday, April 29
Sunderland v Stoke - Saturday, May 4
Sunderland v Southampton - Sunday, May 12
Tottenham v Sunderland - Sunday, May 19
.
Short said: 'Paolo is hugely enthused by the challenge that lies ahead of him. He is passionate, driven and raring to get started. The sole focus of everyone for the next seven games will be to ensure we gain enough points to maintain our top flight status. I think that the chances of that are greatly increased with Paolo joining us.
'Our fans have shown tremendous patience and understanding this season. They have continued to back the team in huge numbers, both home and away and that is something that continues to inspire all of us in our drive to give them the successful club they deserve. That remains our primary aim.'
However, the club are facing a backlash after David Miliband resigned from his role as vice-chairman and non-executive director of Sunderland due to new manager Di Canio's 'past political statements'.
Meanwhile, supporters threatened to withdraw season tickets and boycott the club over Di Canio’s fascist views.
The Rome-born 44-year-old has never hidden his political views, in fact rather revelled in them with salutes to Lazio fans, but they are repugnant to some Sunderland supporters who are proud of the club’s working class and socialist background. The Stadium of Light was built on the last Wearside pit and has close associations with the remaining miners’ lodges in the region, as well as retaining labour MP David Milliband on the board.
Dave Bowman, chairman of the supporters’ club Greater Manchester branch, said he was stepping down from his position and would not be returning to the stadium while Di Canio was in charge.
Mr Bowman, a Sunderland fan since his first game in 1958 and season ticket holder since the Stadium of Light opened in 1997, believes Short may not understand the deep feelings of some supporters.
He said: `It feels like a bereavement. The backbone of the support is working class and this is an appalling appointment.
'How can we have a Nelson Mandela Day at the stadium and the following day appoint a self-confessed fascist with, I believe, a Mussolini tattoo? It is hypocrisy.’
An email campaign launched on Sunday was gathering some momentum but Sunderland will hope the refusal to renew season tickets among supporters will not.
Short and O’Neill had been in conflict for some time over the former Aston Villa manager’s January buys and spoke on the telephone several hours after the game because Short, an American hedge fund billionaire, was not at the Stadium of Light for Sunderland’s fifth defeat in their last seven games. O’Neill was told his contract was being terminated.
O’Neill and his wife Geraldine, then travelled to the club’s Academy of Light training ground, which is within two miles of the stadium, to clear his desk. The pair, who had recently moved into a new house in Durham, are now expected to return to their family base in the south.
Behind you: Martin O'Neill was sacked after Sunderland lost to Manchester City on Saturday
The former Leicester City and Celtic boss had been in charge for just 15 months on Wearside after he was appointed by Short as Steve Bruce’s successor, within weeks of Niall Quinn’s departure as club chairman.
Although he made an immediate impact to guide the club away from trouble before Christmas, and took them to the FA Cup quarter-finals, they failed to win a league game after they were knocked out by Everton.
In the summer, O’Neill signed Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson for combined £23million. Scotland international Fletcher, who was relegated with Burnley and Wolves has been a sensation and without his 11 goals Sunderland would be bottom of the Premier League. Sunderland-born winger Johnson has struggled and lost his England place under Roy Hodgson, even though O’Neill persevered with him.
Short also funded the winter window signings of Danny Graham, who has failed to score in seven games since his £5.5million move from Swansea City, and Alfred N’Diaye, a £5million French midfielder, who was playing in Turkey, who was dropped for the miserable draw with Norwich. Senegal defender Kader Mangane, discovered in Saudi Arabia, has not even played for the club.
In his programme notes on Saturday, Short wrote: `I am very aware that our supporters, who have backed us week in, week out, in such large numbers, aren’t happy and I full understand why.
High hopes: O'Neill's arrival in December 2011 was greeted with delight
Money matters: O'Neill had been backed with major signings like Adam Johnson
'There is nobody that is happy with our current position and the way our season is going. The reality is that we have a fight on our hands. We know we are capable of playing better and we know we need to begin doing so now.’ O’Neill, 61, has managed 893 league games in his career, compared to di Canio’s 95 but Short is clearly hoping the arrival of the former West Ham star will give the players a lift to ensure they avoid relegation, with the multi-billion pound TV deal at stake next season.
Saturday’s defeat, which was followed by Wigan Athletic’s win over Norwich City, has left Sunderland just a point outside the bottom three with Chelsea up next for a side without top scorer Steven Fletcher and captain Lee Cattermole for the rest of the season.
Sunderland’s players were unaware of their manager’s fate when they left the Stadium of Light on Saturday, although they had been aware of the pressure on their manager who won 16 of his 55 games in charge, drawing 17 and losing 22.
They haven’t won since January 19 - at Wigan of all places. This is their second, realistically their third, crisis of the season. And now they are in embroiled in a relegation fight with one of the toughest run-ins of all the strugglers.
But with their livelihoods on the line, Sunderland players will now face a very different management style with Di Canio who was in charge at Swindon Town for nearly two years and took the club out of League Two last season. He resigned from the County Ground in February after a fall-out with the board over finances. But his well-publicised bust-ups with players, his own coaching staff, directors and supporters seem to have washed over Short. All he cares about is whether Sunderland can stay up.
And he has gambled on Di Canio to make sure it happens.
Had enough: Ellis Short made the decision to sack O'Neill
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2P9tLkxbd
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook