Di Canio hammers Roeder’s decision
The Italian was furious at being substituted four minutes into the second half of their 2-1 win against West Brom and insisted he was not injured as the manager had claimed.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that we beat West Brom because it was an important result and it's given us more self-belief, but I am very angry at the way I was substituted," he told icons.com
"The manager has said that he thought I was injured and that was his reason for taking me off, but to me that is just an excuse, because I wasn't injured at all. I was fit and was causing problems for West Brom. I can't understand his decision. We were 1-0 up when I came off with the game in our hands, so his decision isn't justified.
But di Canio believes the decision to take him off in the early stages of the second half was made by Roeder solely for political reasons and in an effort to upset the want-away striker.
"Maybe it is because the club have told my agents that they can look for another club for next season and this is part of their plan. However this is at the risk of damaging the team and the supporters, especially if we go down."
Now he is demanding Roeder to admit to his mistake and apologise as a matter of principle.
"I'm so angry not because I was the one substituted but because of the principle. Nobody can decide if I'm injured or not, even the manager. I'm an experienced player and I know when I'm OK or not, nobody else. He made a decision that didn't work, so rather than say I was injured, I'd prefer it if he admits he was wrong."
The striker is no stranger to controversy having joined West Ham in a bargain £1.5million deal from Sheffield Wednesday after his famous push on referee Paul Alcock. He then suffered a case of 'depression' which left him an outcast at the club. Prior to that he enjoyed spells at Celtic, Ternana, Lazio, Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan.
Di Canio said the team "fell apart" in the second half and lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Upton Park manager.
"Glenn Roeder said it (his taking off) was a decision made for the team but this upsets me because he has had the chance many times this season to make the right decisions for the team and it's not always happened.
"So why do this in a big game like this, when I was fit? I was playing in a position between the midfielders and the striker Les Ferdinand and it was working very well.
"I was the link player and we were in control of possession and in control of the match. After I went off, we had two fantastic strikers in
Ferdinand and Defoe but they stay right up front and the team started to play long balls instead of short passing. And all of a sudden we were under big pressure.
"If I'm honest, I would say that the manager's decision put the team in trouble. We had the game in our hands and then afterwards, we lost total control. If they had finished their chances better, they would have won in fact we made them look like Manchester United in the second half.
"Glenn Roeder is still a young manager and like everyone else he makes mistakes. Just because we won the match it doesn't mean that his decisions were all good ones. It would be a big mistake to think like that, after all we are still third from bottom.
The Italian said he has been one of West Ham's most important players in their bid for Premiership survival, a claim he backs up with statistics from the season to date.
"Statistics don't lie and it is a fact that I've played an important part in all five of West Ham's Premiership wins this season. And when I was substituted against Tottenham and Southampton, on both occasions we went on to lose.
"Unfortunately in the 12 games I have missed this season, we have not won one of them. Is that a coincidence? Maybe I'm a lucky mascot.
"With that in mind, I should play even with one leg! If somebody is important to the team and has proved that, then why leave them out?
"If it was another player with a good record, I'd say the same."
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