Managers welcome Di Canio arrival

Paolo Di Canio’s appointment as Sunderland manager has been met with support from a number of his Barclays Premier League counterparts, including his former boss Harry Redknapp.

Since his appointment last weekend Di Canio has been forced to distance himself from comments he made in the past in which he described himself as a fascist, claiming in a club statement earlier this week that he does not support the ideology of fascism.

Di Canio, who left npower League One outfit Swindon in February, replaced Martin O’Neill at the Stadium of Light with the Black Cats just one point above the relegation zone.

QPR boss Redknapp, who managed Di Canio at West Ham between 1999 and 2001, has hit back at those people calling Di Canio’s political views into question.

Talking about his appointment, Redknapp said: “It’s fantastic, I’m delighted for him. It’s amazing how suddenly he’s a fascist now he’s at Sunderland and wasn’t at Swindon.

“No one mentioned anything about him when he was at Swindon, suddenly he goes to Sunderland and all the dirt in the world gets dug up on him.

“I’d love him to do great at Sunderland, I really would. He was a great player for me, a good lad, a great trainer, the fittest guy you would ever wish to see.”

QPR are currently 19th in the table, eight points adrift of Sunderland and although Redknapp said it remains to be seen if Di Canio can keep the club in the top flight, he knows what the 44-year-old will expect.

“He was loved at West Ham, he was absolutely idolised by the fans. He was a fantastic player,” Redknapp added.

“I don’t know (if he will keep them up). He has a tough job on his hands, but he will give it his best shot.

“He will want his players to be the same, to live right, conduct themselves and eat right and be as fit as they could ever be. He will demand that from them.”

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has backed his fellow Italian to do well and reckons he should be left to run the club rather than continue to bat away questions about his past.

“I am happy and I hope he can do a good job in Sunderland. I am sure he can save them,” he said.

“I think you should leave him to do his job. He played in England for seven, eight years and then he was a manager. Never was it said, this history. Why now? I don’t understand this. But we (Italians) are strong. I don’t think he will have any problems. He will do a good job.”

Di Canio’s spell at West Ham is arguably his most memorable time in English football to date and current Hammers boss Sam Allardyce believes the club legend has to make the most of his opportunity on Wearside.

“I think he’s got a great opportunity,” he said.

“It’s not easy to secure a job in the Premier League. When you get there you must grasp it with both hands and learn how to cope with it as quickly as you possibly can. If you can put all that together as quickly as you possibly can, you survive. If you don’t you’ll soon find out what the pressure feels like. All the best to him.”

Di Canio’s first game in charge of Sunderland comes away at Chelsea on Sunday.The Black Cats could find themselves in the bottom three before kick-off at Stamford Bridge but Blues captain John Terry has also praised Di Canio.

“I can only speak highly of him,” Terry told the London Evening Standard.

“I played against him when he was at Charlton. His movement was fantastic and I found he was just a real nice guy on the pitch.

“I was only young at the time when I was playing against him when he was at West Ham and sides like that.

“He always spoke to me after games and said ’listen, maybe you should do this and do that’ which was really nice at the time.”