Di Canio at Sunderland – What Does It Mean For West Ham?

In recent weeks there has been a lot of focus on Paolo Di Canio being assigned as the next Sunderland boss. With only a couple of years experience as a manager under his belt, what can be expected of the flamboyant Italian in his first test on the grand stage of football – The English Premier League?

Since Di Canio was confirmed as being the man to replace Martin O’Neil, the media have bombarded him from every direction, asking questions about fascism and racism, but nothing about football – the real purpose and only thing that matters, not past statements and personal beliefs. The way I see things is he is passionate about football and as long as he remains fair to everyone (the fans, players, board and so on), any so called strong opinions on ethnic differences are irrelevant.  He is there to do one job and improve the position of a club that is slowly falling down the league table, that’s all.

So far he has managed to prove himself in League Two, securing Swindon Town promotion straight back into League One, in his first season as football manager. He also managed to reach the Football League Trophy Final in 2012 but suffered to a defeat, which could have been the cherry on the top of a very successful season. His spell finished after only 2 years because of off the field financial difficulties with the Swindon Town board, as the club still remained in a tough financial position, resulting in many disagreements and secrecy.

In some media reports, there appears to be doubts on the coaching strategy which Di Canio has adopted as his own. But I personally feel he is spot on with his approach and if it works (as proven) why should his authoritarian approach be questioned and be considered to only work in the lower leagues. Obviously there are other obstacles he will face in the Premier League, but no matter what the challenge he is there to guide and teach and every player should respect him, despite their egos or reputations, as well as the board and media.

Di Canio was linked with a return to West Ham United but as a manager this time, as a potential replacement for Big Sam as he still lingers on signing a new contract at the club. However, this wasn’t to be the outcome and the Italian was the chosen candidate for the vacant Sunderland job. I feel this is a good choice for him and it will help him gain vital experience as a in his new profession. But I also think that if you were to dig deeper in the mind of Paolo, you would find out this is to help improve his chances of securing the Hammers job in a few years time, once we decide to part with Big Sam. Who knows, I might be wrong but this is what I like to keep telling myself.

I personally feel Di Canio can do a good job at Sunderland, he just needs the players to deliver and have the full backing of the board (which I’m guessing he has, otherwise he wouldn’t have been hired). He likes to play attractive/attacking football and this will please the Sunderland fans as they have a lot of forward minded players, with the likes of Stephane Sessegnon, Danny Graham, Adam Johnson, James McClean and co, all likely to be regulars in the side.  Although not tested as a manager in such a tough league, I personally feel he has the natural characteristics to make a very successful manager and I wish him all the best.

Di Canio took the reins in his first test as Sunderland manager against a resilient Chelsea side. The fixture finished 2-1 and wasn’t the dream outcome for Di Canio and fans alike, but as he stated in his post match interview “At the moment everything is negative, but we are not worried because we are going to do the right job to stay in the league. I believe in the quality of my players.”

I’m sure many Hammers fans will be keeping one eye on how he does. Good luck Paolo!

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