As I've said before, if you think the only thing that matters is that he put in a shift when he was with Charlton you'll think he's fine. If you think all the other stuff matters you won't. Me, I think he's a dickhead, but he probably doesn't care.
I flew to Bologna this afternoon and Di Canio was on my flight. For at least an hour before the flight he was ranting on his mobile and clearly his body language was "don't talk to me" a young Italian bloke tried the look was enough.
I really think hes a bit mad and his politics stink....great player tho
tbh he sounds like the kind of manager that would only do well at league one and two, maybe championship but never premier league. In L1+2 he's dealing with footballers that are earning roughly the same as a middle class person would be earning, but without any financial security afterwards. Many of these footballers dream of playing in the premier league but are just happy to be playing the sport they love for a living. They also don't have the same temptations as a millionaire footballer would have. Paul Benson was obviously a hard working guy and a professional, some thing that di canio was as a footballer, as well as having incredible flair. Di canio comes in and says "to get to the top you've gotta come in every day and work" which, to a league one/two footballer sounds plausable and they'd follow them. To a millionaire footballer that's already "made it" in their eyes and have financial security, they just dont need the bother of coming into work 9-5 every day. They'd rather hand in a transfer request and go play somewhere else where they'd have days off to play their games consoles and spend their money. Would be a great manager to play for if you were league one or two, but not if you're a spoilt premierleague millionaire.
I flew to Bologna this afternoon and Di Canio was on my flight. For at least an hour before the flight he was ranting on his mobile and clearly his body language was "don't talk to me" a young Italian bloke tried the look was enough.
I really think hes a bit mad and his politics stink....great player tho
When Paolo Di Canio got the job at Sunderland I said in this column that he wasn’t appointed for football reasons. He was brought in to upset some egos and kick some backsides. Which is also the reason he’s been sacked. Believe me, footballers get very upset if a new manager changes their routine. They cry about it to their mates, and before you know it ‘the lads’ are in it together, playing in such a way that the manager’s dismissal becomes inevitable.
I’ve seen it happen time and time again. How about the international (not at Sunderland, I hasten to add) who hated new training schedules so much he told his new manager that he saw it as his job to get him the sack as soon as possible? Or the well-respected player who told his new manager he wouldn’t adhere to the new defensive tactics because he preferred playing a different way? Both times – the manager was sacked after a matter of months. I’ve read stories about players being upset about Di Canio’s rules on chatting with club staff. Forget whether the Italian was right or wrong to impose a rule like that. Instead, ask yourself this: should that affect player performance on a Saturday afternoon? Really?
Do you honestly believe it’s logical that players perform worse if they’re not allowed to chat to the tea lady? How unprofessional is that? Are they all big babies or what? And apparently there is outrage at a Di Canio rule that youth team players couldn’t use the gym if a senior player was already in there. One of the biggest problems in English football is young players thinking they’ve ‘made it’ before they’ve achieved anything in the game. People long for the days of apprentices cleaning boots and showing respect to management and senior pros. Yet this rule brought in by di Canio to keep young players’ feet on the ground has been criticised. Don’t feel sorry for the players at Sunderland. They’re well-paid, and they play football all day. Life wasn’t so unbearable for them. They were given a manager who asked difficult questions of them. They couldn’t be bothered to work harder, so they contacted the board and got him the sack. They preferred the old ways of no demands, no expectations, and no achievement. Remember this was a group of players who couldn’t be bothered to do their jobs properly for a man like Martin O’Neill. The fans might get all excited if they beat League One Peterborough in the Cup tonight, but it’s a game that should be comfortable for any Premier League side. The fans deserve more than a routine cup win. Sunderland is a club that has been mediocre or worse for years and years.
The players have got their way, so they’d better start producing something decent. Until they do, the fans should treat the players with the contempt they deserve – they were unprofessional, they under-performed, lost games, and eventually forced the manager out. Di Canio wasn’t perfect, and I can’t see him managing in the Premier League again. His strict disciplined regime didn’t go down well with players who prefer an easy life. Had they embraced his methods, Sunderland might have been successful – we will never know. The sad state of the Premier League these days means managers have to be nice to players or you lose the dressing room and the players get you the sack. Speaking to Swindon players about Di Canio, they tell me they were so hungry for success they were ready to go along with what he wanted. That tells you all you need to know about the hunger of the Sunderland players.
Interesting, well written piece. In stark contrast to the utter drivel written by Kevin Philips on Sky Sports. Stick to the footy eh Kev, You're actually pretty good at that!
Players certainly have a lot more power these days and that's been highlighted with Paolo Di Canio's sacking.
It happened with Chelsea and Andre Villas-Boas a few years ago as well. Football has moved on - it certainly wasn't like that when I started out 20-odd years ago.
Di Canio's sacking is no surprise to me if I'm being totally honest. Speaking as a player that's played under many managers over the years, once you lose that dressing room you lose your players - they don't trust you. I think the Chairman and the board had no choice but to relieve Paolo of his job and duties, because in this day and age I believe that man management is more important than actual tactics on the pitch and I think there wasn't any of the at the Stadium of Light.
Once you lose that dressing room you're on a hiding to nothing. I would certainly say that with the regime he was running there, allegedly. If you believe everything you read - banning smiling, staff aren't allowed to talk to players, no tomato ketchup, no coffee - I don't believe you can do that in this day and age. You're talking about fully-grown men that have got their own families - you can't treat them like kids. You have to treat them like adults and I believe Di Canio's style doesn't work for me in the Premier League.
Football has moved on and it certainly wasn't like this when I started out 20-odd years ago. It's changed a hell of a lot and you have to change with it, unfortunately that's the way it is and as I say, you have to manage the players right. Man management is more key than anything.
Player Power
Players have a lot more power than they did 10/15 years ago. And it is difficult to say whether that is a good thing or not. There will be a lot of people that disagree, but that's just the way that football has moved forward.
We put players on long contracts, on big money and they hold the power. If a player is not happy they can get themselves out of the football club quite quickly and quite easily.
It is a difficult one and unfortunately that is just the way football is at the moment, it's the era that we're in and we've just got to get on with it. It is disappointing to see a manager lose his job, but that's football and you've got to accept it.
Rules and regulations
The managers that I've played under over the years have been firm believers in whatever is said, is said between the four walls of the dressing room. Whatever it is, it stays in house.
When you're dealing with players that have played at the top level and you're coming out and criticising them in public it's not going to go down too well and it's not going to take too long before players start to revolt and start to go against the manager.
In my experience I've never had it and all the many managers I've played under have kept it in house, which for me is the correct way.
I've played under nearly 20 managers in my career; I remember at Sunderland when Howard Wilkinson took over for a brief period it was quite strict. He was very strict on his rules about meeting times and did ban sauces and stuff like that. I thought at the time it wasn't right, but that was the way that he managed.
There are always rules and regulations that the players put together themselves but never as harsh as - you're not allowed coffee, not allowed tomato ketchup, staff can't to talk to players etc. - that's going too far. Courtesy and respect
The players have their own rules; it's the basic stuff like if you've got no flip-flops on in the shower, if you're late for training, if you leave some kit out on the training field, if you leave your plate out on the table after lunch. It's just common courtesy rules that you would abide to at home anyway and it just keeps everyone on their toes.
Those kind of rules are right in football clubs, you have to live by rules and there's no harm in doing that and it keeps the house in order.
The manager will have his own rules as well - like on match day if you're late you will get fined double - so it's part and parcel of football but I think you have to draw the line somewhere.
I think mine and Ian Holloway's relationship works because of respect. That's huge in football; I'm a great believer in in man management and having respect for your players and your manager. I think if you get that balance right, you want to work for that guy, you want to do your best for them. As soon as you lose that there's going to be problems.
My relationship with the manager is about respect, he can trust me, he's let me train at home many times on my own and I don't want to let him down.
My relationship with my manager is excellent, I respect him, he's the gaffer and we work by his rules.
Comments
I really think hes a bit mad and his politics stink....great player tho
halfway down talks about the di canio situation
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2430335/David-Moyes-got-tactics-wrong-Manchester-derby--Adrian-Durham.html#ixzz2foKw2NHh
When Paolo Di Canio got the job at Sunderland I said in this column that he wasn’t appointed for football reasons.
He was brought in to upset some egos and kick some backsides.
Which is also the reason he’s been sacked.
Believe me, footballers get very upset if a new manager changes their routine. They cry about it to their mates, and before you know it ‘the lads’ are in it together, playing in such a way that the manager’s dismissal becomes inevitable.
I’ve seen it happen time and time again.
How about the international (not at Sunderland, I hasten to add) who hated new training schedules so much he told his new manager that he saw it as his job to get him the sack as soon as possible?
Or the well-respected player who told his new manager he wouldn’t adhere to the new defensive tactics because he preferred playing a different way? Both times – the manager was sacked after a matter of months.
I’ve read stories about players being upset about Di Canio’s rules on chatting with club staff. Forget whether the Italian was right or wrong to impose a rule like that. Instead, ask yourself this: should that affect player performance on a Saturday afternoon? Really?
Do you honestly believe it’s logical that players perform worse if they’re not allowed to chat to the tea lady? How unprofessional is that? Are they all big babies or what?
And apparently there is outrage at a Di Canio rule that youth team players couldn’t use the gym if a senior player was already in there. One of the biggest problems in English football is young players thinking they’ve ‘made it’ before they’ve achieved anything in the game. People long for the days of apprentices cleaning boots and showing respect to management and senior pros. Yet this rule brought in by di Canio to keep young players’ feet on the ground has been criticised.
Don’t feel sorry for the players at Sunderland. They’re well-paid, and they play football all day. Life wasn’t so unbearable for them.
They were given a manager who asked difficult questions of them. They couldn’t be bothered to work harder, so they contacted the board and got him the sack.
They preferred the old ways of no demands, no expectations, and no achievement. Remember this was a group of players who couldn’t be bothered to do their jobs properly for a man like Martin O’Neill.
The fans might get all excited if they beat League One Peterborough in the Cup tonight, but it’s a game that should be comfortable for any Premier League side. The fans deserve more than a routine cup win. Sunderland is a club that has been mediocre or worse for years and years.
The players have got their way, so they’d better start producing something decent. Until they do, the fans should treat the players with the contempt they deserve – they were unprofessional, they under-performed, lost games, and eventually forced the manager out.
Di Canio wasn’t perfect, and I can’t see him managing in the Premier League again. His strict disciplined regime didn’t go down well with players who prefer an easy life. Had they embraced his methods, Sunderland might have been successful – we will never know.
The sad state of the Premier League these days means managers have to be nice to players or you lose the dressing room and the players get you the sack.
Speaking to Swindon players about Di Canio, they tell me they were so hungry for success they were ready to go along with what he wanted.
That tells you all you need to know about the hunger of the Sunderland players.
www1.skysports.com/football/news/29333/8939731/kevin-phillips-players-hold-the-power-but-di-canio-had-to-go
Players certainly have a lot more power these days and that's been highlighted with Paolo Di Canio's sacking.
It happened with Chelsea and Andre Villas-Boas a few years ago as well. Football has moved on - it certainly wasn't like that when I started out 20-odd years ago.
Di Canio's sacking is no surprise to me if I'm being totally honest. Speaking as a player that's played under many managers over the years, once you lose that dressing room you lose your players - they don't trust you. I think the Chairman and the board had no choice but to relieve Paolo of his job and duties, because in this day and age I believe that man management is more important than actual tactics on the pitch and I think there wasn't any of the at the Stadium of Light.
Once you lose that dressing room you're on a hiding to nothing. I would certainly say that with the regime he was running there, allegedly. If you believe everything you read - banning smiling, staff aren't allowed to talk to players, no tomato ketchup, no coffee - I don't believe you can do that in this day and age. You're talking about fully-grown men that have got their own families - you can't treat them like kids. You have to treat them like adults and I believe Di Canio's style doesn't work for me in the Premier League.
Football has moved on and it certainly wasn't like this when I started out 20-odd years ago. It's changed a hell of a lot and you have to change with it, unfortunately that's the way it is and as I say, you have to manage the players right. Man management is more key than anything.
Player Power
Players have a lot more power than they did 10/15 years ago. And it is difficult to say whether that is a good thing or not. There will be a lot of people that disagree, but that's just the way that football has moved forward.
We put players on long contracts, on big money and they hold the power. If a player is not happy they can get themselves out of the football club quite quickly and quite easily.
It is a difficult one and unfortunately that is just the way football is at the moment, it's the era that we're in and we've just got to get on with it. It is disappointing to see a manager lose his job, but that's football and you've got to accept it.
Rules and regulations
The managers that I've played under over the years have been firm believers in whatever is said, is said between the four walls of the dressing room. Whatever it is, it stays in house.
When you're dealing with players that have played at the top level and you're coming out and criticising them in public it's not going to go down too well and it's not going to take too long before players start to revolt and start to go against the manager.
In my experience I've never had it and all the many managers I've played under have kept it in house, which for me is the correct way.
I've played under nearly 20 managers in my career; I remember at Sunderland when Howard Wilkinson took over for a brief period it was quite strict. He was very strict on his rules about meeting times and did ban sauces and stuff like that. I thought at the time it wasn't right, but that was the way that he managed.
There are always rules and regulations that the players put together themselves but never as harsh as - you're not allowed coffee, not allowed tomato ketchup, staff can't to talk to players etc. - that's going too far.
Courtesy and respect
The players have their own rules; it's the basic stuff like if you've got no flip-flops on in the shower, if you're late for training, if you leave some kit out on the training field, if you leave your plate out on the table after lunch. It's just common courtesy rules that you would abide to at home anyway and it just keeps everyone on their toes.
Those kind of rules are right in football clubs, you have to live by rules and there's no harm in doing that and it keeps the house in order.
The manager will have his own rules as well - like on match day if you're late you will get fined double - so it's part and parcel of football but I think you have to draw the line somewhere.
I think mine and Ian Holloway's relationship works because of respect. That's huge in football; I'm a great believer in in man management and having respect for your players and your manager. I think if you get that balance right, you want to work for that guy, you want to do your best for them. As soon as you lose that there's going to be problems.
My relationship with the manager is about respect, he can trust me, he's let me train at home many times on my own and I don't want to let him down.
My relationship with my manager is excellent, I respect him, he's the gaffer and we work by his rules.