They've lost Di Canio…

So Paolo Di Canio has fallen victim to his own 'revolution' at Sunderland. There can't be many industries where you allow a manager to spend £19 million on new capital equipment and then give him just five weeks to get it all installed. Sunderland knew Di Canio's character and methods when they employed him so you have to ask why Ellis Short has panicked after a mere five games.

I'd agree with Big Sam that PDC's been sacked far too soon, although at the same time I can't see his tactics would have worked at West Ham. Criticising Premiership players in public bruises their egos and was never going to work, and how long would he have lasted before falling out with David Sullivan and David Gold? They didn't like it when Steve Clarke was apparently disrespectful towards them and they certainly wouldn't have appreciated a Di Canio tantrum. While Karren Brady would have questioned selling one expensive team and replacing it with another, though she might have liked economising on the ketchup.

Part of Paolo's problem is his failure to appreciate that not all players are as ultra-dedicated or talented as he was (give or take the odd training ground walkout) and many require different man-management. Paolo has been tremendous entertainment value during his brief managerial career but we should perhaps be grateful that he didn't begin his learning curve at West Ham.

Di Canio on Geordie shore

Scary night at Steve Harper's testimonial for Newcastle. Paolo Di Canio, fresh from lambasting his Sunderland players, took to the pitch to play pantomime villain. The game also saw appearances from former Hammers Lee Bowyer, Kieron Dyer and a silver-haired Robert Lee. Not sure if Dyer lasted the 90 minutes… though Di Canio did try to red card the ref and survived a late tackle from Joey Barton.

They've got Di Canio…

So Paolo Di Canio has made his usual low-key start to life at Sunderland. There's a lengthy interview with Di Canio in my 2002 book West Ham Irons in the Soul, still available on Kindle, where he discusses his eccentric, if not all stations to Barking, political views. He's very insistent that he's not a racist and claims that gay people, women, yellow and black people are all welcome round at his gaff. PDC denies being a fascist or "fan of Mussolini", though he does claim that Mussolini was "a true nationalist" and claims that the media misinterpreted his views as a "polemic". Not sure if Neil Ruddock, John Moncur and co would ever have used the word 'polemic' in their dressing room banter… Di Canio also reflects on travelling on the London Underground to Chigwell and controversially claims that he hasn't tried the cuisine in Ken's Cafe. Oh and the book also has his thoughts on piranah fish...  

Paolo di Canio?

Interesting news that Paolo Di Canio has resigned from Swindon Town, now top of Division One. He certainly inspires loyalty in his backroom team who are all going to resign with him. The caretaker for last night's win Frabrizio Piccareta declared: : "We leave the team top of the league in League One but it's the outcome of the fantastic job that Paolo Di Canio and the team and ourselves as technical staff have done in the last two years. We are here for Paolo Di Canio and we will follow him everywhere even if he coaches at Real Madrid or Luton Town."

Currently the board are right to postpone talks on any new contract with Sam Allardyce until our PL future is known. I've always maintained we should judge managers over a whole season. Big Sam produced the shock therapy West Ham needed and achieved promotion and if we stay up he's done his job. Can he advance us from there? The next 12 games should tell. Are the board eyeing up Di Canio (would he inevitably implode after some row with the owners?) or Redknapp, Martinez, Laudrup or even Curbishley? The summer promises to be an intriguing time on the managerial front.

We've got Di Canio?

"Hammers line up shock move for Di Canio," reads the back page of tonight's Standard.

There's less to this than meets the eye, as in the paper's interview with David Sullivan the WHU joint chairman doesn't mention Di Canio by name, although he does say: "If Avram wants help we'll bring it in. It might be that we bring in a new striking coach to help the manager, a former player."

Which is enough for the Standard to print a picture of Paolo with its sensationalist headline. Strange.

Still, as an admirer of Mussolini Paolo would surely get the training running on time.

Although talking of Italian coaches, it's ironic that the only person who's got the best out of Carlton Cole was one Gianfranco Zola. Maybe we should offer him a job.

We've got Di Canio?

So the Sun has Paolo Di Canio lined up for a return to Upton Park and getting the training running on time. As Di Canio’s an avid reader of Mussolini biographies his strong leadership might be interesting.

Obviously we’d have to invade the footballing equivalent of Abyssinia to restore nationalist fervour among the masses – maybe we could annex Leyton Orient or Dagenham and Redbridge? Or failing that Canvey Island? The players would be told that their West Ham shirt was a second skin and Paolo could substitute himself from the bench in disgust after a poor performance.

Although considering Curbs’ comments on “ a breach of trust and confidence” over sales, you wonder if any manager will want to work at a club where they don’t control transfers. Paolo would be shoving the board over within minutes before threatening to feed them to his piranhas.