Paolo Di Canio: A view from ten miles away

Paolo Di Canio – More haters than lovers?

Today morning, all Newcastle United webpages and forums were flooded with news of Alan Pardew’s latest statement in the press.

“The sacking of Paolo Di Canio by Sunderland FC has shocked and disappointed all of us” is what he said. And why would it not?

Surely, your rival club getting rid of a man who seemed to have lost the plot and also the faith of the players and fans alike isn’t something you’d enjoy listening to.

People involved with Newcastle United and Sunderland FC have always taken great pride in the failings and disappointments of one another. This rivalry extends way beyond football. The cities of Newcastle and Sunderland are located in the North-East and are separated by a mere ten miles.

The rivalry between the cities dates back to sometime around the English Civil war and since then, “Geordies” and “Mackems” alike have never missed an opportunity to go one-up on their neighbours.

When the two football clubs associated with these cities meet on the pitch, viewers can be assured of intense and physical British football of the highest level.

Over the years, the ‘Tyne-Wear derby’, as it has come to be known, has given us some great goals, physical battles and always entertaining football (not to forget the ‘occasional’ riot post-match). Every year fans and players alike await the release of the fixtures for the upcoming season to mark both the derby dates in their calendars.

The derby is the focal point of the Newcastle’s season. Many times there is a single individual who steals the spotlight in these matches with his contribution on the night. The most recent meeting in April also had a similar individual. Not a player but the newly appointed Sunderland manager: Paolo Di Canio.

He inspired Sunderland to a 3-0 victory at St. James’ Park and this victory seemed to spark Sunderland’s revival in the latter part of the season. His elaborate celebration following each goal felt like a dagger to the chest of every Newcastle fan and continued the downward slide, that last season was for the club.

Paolo Di Canio has never been a silent man. As a player he always sparked controversy with his statements and behavior. A talented striker, he found success at Napoli, Juventus, Milan and Lazio, although most football fans remember him for his tumultuous time at West Ham in the Premier League.

Images of him fighting Frank Lampard to take a penalty kick or wanting himself to be substituted by Harry Redknapp after a referee disallowed his goal come to mind. He was always extremely vocal about his political views as well. A self-proclaimed fascist, he made statements openly supporting and glorifying Mussolini and spoke of the influence of the ‘samurai’ culture in his life. He was way too volatile for the average football fan.

As a manager also, he proved to be not too different. Sunderland are known to make such left-of-field appointments. This isn’t the first time they signed a manager based on his reputation rather than managerial ability (ahem, Roy Keane).

Newcastle fans were licking their lips at his appointment. Come on, a player who was known for his notorious on-pitch behavior, now in charge of inspiring a less than confident squad in a downward spiral, how could it ever work? The thing about Sunderland fans is they pride themselves on Newcastle’s failures rather than their own success.

A fan once famously said “we don’t mind going down this season if Newcastle come with us”. Putting Di Canio at the helm of that club was always going to be a recipe for disaster.

In the summer, he signed 14 new players while losing senior players like Mignolet and Sessegnon. They have so far managed a solitary point in their opening five games. His antics over the weekend after the loss against West Bromwich Albion painted the picture of a lost and clueless man.

It was safe to say he had lost the faith of the fans. The last nail in the coffin was him going on record and saying the players “needed to get rid of the rubbish in their brains”. Reports say an intervention from the players to the board accelerated Di Canio’s sacking.

This is not the first time in recent seasons that Sunderland have found themselves with a squad full of new players and a new manager taking charge (similar to the sacking of Roy Keane). Newcastle fans are in the driver’s seat in the north-east this season so far, although, any Geordie would tell you they wouldn’t have minded Di Canio sticking around for a little longer.