Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has revealed that following the outrage that ensued over his appointent as manager of the Black Cats, he offered to walk away from the Stadium of Light.
As most will recall, Di Canio’s political alignments - and in particular his alleged affinity for fascism - were all the rage following his appointment by chairman Elliot Short. Things got so heavy that the Italian manager told Short, in his own special ‘Di Canio speak’, that he was happy to part ways if that’s what the owner wanted.
“I told him, ‘Tell me what I have to do. Bye bye. No problem, because I do not want to be a problem for the club’,” Di Canio told the Independent on Sunday. “If I don’t represent a problem for you I am okay, I am ready to handle the pressure. It is no pressure for me.
“All day rubbish me, I don’t care. It is my life, but if you think ‘mmm, probably yeah, I let you be free’, I don’t want nothing and I go’.
“He said, ‘Absolutely, you have to stay. You are our man.’
“That for me was enough. Refocus. I will never forget what he did. He gave me a big chance of my dream to become manager at the top level. . . . In this moment, he did not give up, he gave me 100 per cent, 200 per cent support. He convinced me to stay because he said you are our man. He is the owner, he picked me. I can’t forget for the rest of my life, no matter what happens in the future.”
Retaining Di Canio has proven to be a good decision by Short as the manager has taken seven of a possible 12 points since arriving at the Stadium of Light. In his very first match as boss, Di Canio let his presence be known as he jumped, dance, chest-banged, knee-slid and fist-pumped his way to a 3-0 shellacking of rivals Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derby.
Di Canio’s antics and inspiration erased the crippling lack of confidence that draped the Black Cats during the final days of Martin O’Neill’s reign. If the win wasn’t enough to convince Mackems of his personality and ideals, his post-match comments concerning his mother, who passed away exactly one year before the win, endeared him to the Sunderland faithful. “Before the kick-off, I saw the face of my Mama smiling. . . . Mama was special today, so my dedication goes to her today, to my Mam.”
Following the derby win Di Canio kept the good times rolling with a deserved 1-0 victory over Everton. It was a match that set off raucous celebrations at the Stadium of Light and sealed the Toffees fate of not qualifying for Champions League. Perhaps high on confidence, the Black Cats were stung by Villa 6-1 the following week before coming from behind to snag a point last Monday night against Stoke.
With two matches left to play in the 2012-13 season, Sunderland are still in the thick of a relegation battle. Three points above the drop on 38 points, a home victory today against Southampton would secure the Black Cats a spot in next year’s Premier League.
And with a difficult final match away at Tottenham, Di Canio’s side will be hard-pressed to take all three points today.
If Sunderland are unable to stay up Di Canio could find himself right back on the hot-seat. But if so, he’ll remain dedicated to the Sunderland cause. “Next year I hope I can be here. You never know what is going on in life.”