Personally, Sunderland’s appointment of Paolo Di Canio was more of a shock due to his relative inexperience as a manager rather than the reasons publicized in the media this week.
Fascism has no place in a modern society - that needs little explanation. And the outrage that Sunderland’s decision has engendered since then is understandable in that regard.
But it was interesting to note that a BBC reporter led the barrage of questions regarding Di Canio’s views at the press conference on Tuesday, even though the BBC had no qualms giving the Italian a column on their website despite the fact that he had sanctioned by the Italian FA for giving the one-handed salute to Lazio fans back in 2005.
When Di Canio was appointed manager of League Two Swindon in 2011, the GMB trade union withdrew its sponsorship of the club citing his well-publicized views. But in general, little fuss was made, partly due to Swindon’s lower profile.
David Miliband’s immediate resignation from Sunderland’s board helped start the debate this week but under the glare of the Stadium of Light, it may still have emerged as an issue regardless.
But it should be the managerial credentials that he showed at Swindon that will concern Sunderland fans.
Hand grenade
His time at Swindon could have been an accident waiting to happen. And even though his former chairman compared his stewardship to “management by hand grenade”, he did achieve results, getting the club promoted to League One at the first attempt.
The Robins had just been relegated from League One in May of 2011 after finishing last in the division, so the 2011-12 season was a delicate period to appoint the famously-temperamental Italian.
Days off were at a premium for players during his time at the club, but the squad did buy into his methods as Di Canio showed that his first season was not a fluke. When he resigned in February due to off-the-field factors involving finances and a potential takeover, he had led the team to 3rd in League One – on course for a playoff spot or even automatic promotion to the second tier.
There is no question that his dictatorial style of management did achieve results – but it also meant that he fell out with a number of players including striker Leon Clark and two captains: Alan McCormack and Paul Caddis who spoke of the managers “my way or the highway” approach this week.
The suggestion has been that replicating that strongman style of leadership may not work with Premier League players who are generally regarded as a spoilt bunch. Whether the dressing room takes to him will only be apparent after a couple of games.
But Di Canio has one thing on his side – Sunderland’s plight. Even though he signed a two and a half year deal, his immediate task is to ensure survival, something the players will also be aiming for which means they are likely to accept his methods in the short-term.
Much will rest on the performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today. It is quite a baptism of fire but its high-profile nature may be the right type of fixture for Di Canio to employ his unique motivational techniques.
