Sunderland

[Cajun]

Pulis definitely comes across as one of those managers whose team need to be built around his limited abilities. He might end up doing a fairly average job for them but they will need a lot of changes before he reaches that point imo.

[Neil]

Few thoughts from Marcotti in his weekly blog:

 

The thing about criticizing players in public is this: you have to get it right. Some take ownership and responsibility when they're held to account in public. Others lose confidence. Others simply get angry.

 

Paolo Di Canio evidently misjudged his players and that's part of the reason why he's no longer manager of Sunderland. The club announced they were parting ways on Sunday night. Monday's papers are filled with stories whereby several senior players angrily took him to task for criticizing them after Saturday's 3-0 defeat at West Brom. Di Canio reportedly responded by telling them that, if they felt that way, they should go to owner Ellis Short and ask that he fire the manager.

 

Well, they did. And Short did.

 

Because the media love simple, easy-to-understand storylines, the narrative here is basic: crazy Di Canio and his odd behaviour upsetting everyone. No fewer than fourteen new signings in the summer, a nutty recipe for instability. It was always going to end badly.

 

I've known the guy for the best part of two decades. Perhaps I can shed some light on the "odd behaviour" on Saturday which basically consisted of him going up to angry travelling fans after the game, apologizing and saying it was his fault. Di Canio said he understood their anger and, had he been in their place, he would have been even angrier.

 

That's taking ownership of your actions. That's taking responsibility. Di Canio knows this because, before becoming a professional, he too was a fan, making endless journeys to away games and spending every last dime to follow his team. That part was genuine.

 

Other odd behaviour? Supposedly "breaking in" to his office at Swindon in the middle of the night following his dismissal. Well, it wasn't a break-in. He was with his assistant, who unlocked the doors for him. He removed personal effects. Family photographs. His notebooks. A picture that his daughter had drawn for him. And he went at night to avoid the awkwardness that you get when a fired employee returns to the workplace. But, hey, to the tabloid media it's crazy Di Canio and another break-in.

 

The fourteen signings? Well, for a start, he wasn't in charge of transfers. Sunderland have a director of football. Beyond that, ten players did leave the club and another two are transfer-listed. So, in net terms, that's not exactly huge. The fourteen newcomers -- four of whom are loan signings and four of whom are twenty or younger -- cost a combined $30.5m, which is roughly what Sunderland got back for the players they sold. In fact, only four clubs had a lower net spend than they did.

 

The bottom line is that Sunderland had one point after five games and evidently Short felt the need to act. Sacking a guy after twelve matches over two seasons seems distinctly pre-mature. You won't be doing the new guy any favours either, given the club's next two games are against Liverpool and Manchester United.

 

Maybe Di Canio had to go and Short's decision will be vindicated. But if that's the case it won't be because of the club's signings or his supposedly "odd" behaviour. Because there isn't -- or shouldn't be -- anything odd about a guy taking responsibility for his performance.

 

As for his supposed bad man-management and inability to get along with his players, his fiercest critics thus far were the guys he shifted out or tried to. Lee Cattermole, Phil Bardsley, Titus Bramble, all these guys had an axe to grind. We'll get a better sense of how the dressing room felt when those players who predate his arrival and have been at Sunderland a long time -- Sebastian Larsson, Craig Gardner, John O'Shea -- speak up. That's when we'll know if that really was the problem.

 

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/mondaymusings/id/566?cc=5739

[TRon]

Make a decent appointment and they'll be fine. They still have a better side than Hull, Palace and maybe one or two others and aren't adrift. Someone who can grind out the points would keep them up. Can't imagine it'd be Pulis if they haven't binned off the DoF though, would be leftfield.

 

I agree, Pulis with these players just doesn't make sense. Di Matteo on the other hand would, but I just wonder whether Italians are cut out for cultural metropolis that is renowned worldwide as Wearside.

[Deuce]

Pulis definitely comes across as one of those managers whose team need to be built around his limited abilities. He might end up doing a fairly average job for them but they will need a lot of changes before he reaches that point imo.

 

How hard is it to play hoofball though?

[Cajun]

Pulis definitely comes across as one of those managers whose team need to be built around his limited abilities. He might end up doing a fairly average job for them but they will need a lot of changes before he reaches that point imo.

 

How hard is it to play hoofball though?

 

Depends on the players, fair enough they have Wickham and Altidore but people like Ji or Giaccherini..

[LucaAltieri]

Make a decent appointment and they'll be fine. They still have a better side than Hull, Palace and maybe one or two others and aren't adrift. Someone who can grind out the points would keep them up. Can't imagine it'd be Pulis if they haven't binned off the DoF though, would be leftfield.

 

I'm sure they're scouring the J League for the next Wenger as we speak.

 

Thought I'd go and take a look to see who "the next Wenger" is. Apparently there's a Wenger protege at his old club in Japan, a Serbian legend named Dragan Stojkovic.

 

He scored this goal from the technical area and got red carded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQPR43v64e4

 

 

I'd have him.

[Disco]

Saying that their are similarities between Stoke and the current mackems.

 

Altidore = Jones

+ Fletcher can mix it in the air

Johnson > Etherington

Larsson and Gardner have OK delivery

Giaccherini is a workhorse

Numerous shithead try hards in the middle

 

Defence & keeper would be their problem

[Guest neesy111]

Few thoughts from Marcotti in his weekly blog:

 

The thing about criticizing players in public is this: you have to get it right. Some take ownership and responsibility when they're held to account in public. Others lose confidence. Others simply get angry.

 

Paolo Di Canio evidently misjudged his players and that's part of the reason why he's no longer manager of Sunderland. The club announced they were parting ways on Sunday night. Monday's papers are filled with stories whereby several senior players angrily took him to task for criticizing them after Saturday's 3-0 defeat at West Brom. Di Canio reportedly responded by telling them that, if they felt that way, they should go to owner Ellis Short and ask that he fire the manager.

 

Well, they did. And Short did.

 

Because the media love simple, easy-to-understand storylines, the narrative here is basic: crazy Di Canio and his odd behaviour upsetting everyone. No fewer than fourteen new signings in the summer, a nutty recipe for instability. It was always going to end badly.

 

I've known the guy for the best part of two decades. Perhaps I can shed some light on the "odd behaviour" on Saturday which basically consisted of him going up to angry travelling fans after the game, apologizing and saying it was his fault. Di Canio said he understood their anger and, had he been in their place, he would have been even angrier.

 

That's taking ownership of your actions. That's taking responsibility. Di Canio knows this because, before becoming a professional, he too was a fan, making endless journeys to away games and spending every last dime to follow his team. That part was genuine.

 

Other odd behaviour? Supposedly "breaking in" to his office at Swindon in the middle of the night following his dismissal. Well, it wasn't a break-in. He was with his assistant, who unlocked the doors for him. He removed personal effects. Family photographs. His notebooks. A picture that his daughter had drawn for him. And he went at night to avoid the awkwardness that you get when a fired employee returns to the workplace. But, hey, to the tabloid media it's crazy Di Canio and another break-in.

 

The fourteen signings? Well, for a start, he wasn't in charge of transfers. Sunderland have a director of football. Beyond that, ten players did leave the club and another two are transfer-listed. So, in net terms, that's not exactly huge. The fourteen newcomers -- four of whom are loan signings and four of whom are twenty or younger -- cost a combined $30.5m, which is roughly what Sunderland got back for the players they sold. In fact, only four clubs had a lower net spend than they did.

 

The bottom line is that Sunderland had one point after five games and evidently Short felt the need to act. Sacking a guy after twelve matches over two seasons seems distinctly pre-mature. You won't be doing the new guy any favours either, given the club's next two games are against Liverpool and Manchester United.

 

Maybe Di Canio had to go and Short's decision will be vindicated. But if that's the case it won't be because of the club's signings or his supposedly "odd" behaviour. Because there isn't -- or shouldn't be -- anything odd about a guy taking responsibility for his performance.

 

As for his supposed bad man-management and inability to get along with his players, his fiercest critics thus far were the guys he shifted out or tried to. Lee Cattermole, Phil Bardsley, Titus Bramble, all these guys had an axe to grind. We'll get a better sense of how the dressing room felt when those players who predate his arrival and have been at Sunderland a long time -- Sebastian Larsson, Craig Gardner, John O'Shea -- speak up. That's when we'll know if that really was the problem.

 

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/mondaymusings/id/566?cc=5739

 

Marcotti quietly forgets that according to all media outlets today, most of the new signings were equally as pissed off under Di Canio.

[TheHoob]

Why do they seem to compare every manager they have to Brian Clough on RTG?

[Tiresias]

Paolo Di Canio evidently misjudged his players and that's part of the reason why he's no longer manager of Sunderland. The club announced they were parting ways on Sunday night. Monday's papers are filled with stories whereby several senior players angrily took him to task for criticizing them after Saturday's 3-0 defeat at West Brom. Di Canio reportedly responded by telling them that, if they felt that way, they should go to owner Ellis Short and ask that he fire the manager.

 

He needs to stop asking people to dissmiss him, first a ref now the owner (by proxy) 

[Dave]

@Smudge1962

Di Matteo has ruled himself out the running for the Sunderland job but Gus Poyet and Steve McClaren have already lodged an interest

[juliogeordio]

I'm the derby too.

[henke]

Just got in from work and couldn't be arsed reading the last god knows how many pages, i suppose you've already discussed the fact that aside from being a shit manager he's a fucking lunatic?

 

I hope they don't get McClaren. I know he's hardly Pep mk2, but i think he'd do well there.

[BeloEmre]

@Smudge1962

Di Matteo has ruled himself out the running for the Sunderland job but Gus Poyet and Steve McClaren have already lodged an interest

Who's Smudge1962?

[TRon]

@Smudge1962

Di Matteo has ruled himself out the running for the Sunderland job but Gus Poyet and Steve McClaren have already lodged an interest

Who's Smudge1962?

 

Some clueless twat probably.

[Ketsbaia]

I hope it isnt Poyet.

[hithere]

Was Di Fanti not an appointment recommended by Di Canio?

 

Other way around

[Jesse Pinkman]

Kevin Ball on a permanent please Ellis  .

[Wullie]

Absolutely excruciating listening to people I know or on the radio saying "to be fair though, a lot of what he said I agreed with"

 

Swear to God somebody could get elected to Prime Minister in Britain with no policies other than "God aren't footballers cunts? Aren't they? Cunts. Rich cunts. Aren't they?"

 

Tedious as fuck.

[Deuce]

 

Swear to God somebody could get elected to Prime Minister in Britain with no policies other than "God aren't footballers cunts? Aren't they? Cunts. Rich cunts. Aren't they?"

 

Tedious as fuck.

 

That was the Callaghan platform in '76 iirc.

[Guest neesy111]

Was Di Fanti not an appointment recommended by Di Canio?

 

Other way around

 

[Dave]

@Smudge1962

Di Matteo has ruled himself out the running for the Sunderland job but Gus Poyet and Steve McClaren have already lodged an interest

Who's Smudge1962?

 

Mirror journalist.

[TRon]

@Smudge1962

Di Matteo has ruled himself out the running for the Sunderland job but Gus Poyet and Steve McClaren have already lodged an interest

Who's Smudge1962?

 

Mirror journalist.

 

In that case I hope Happy Face is right about Poyet being a Di Canio clone, although considering he thinks Harry Redknapp is a fount of wisdom I wouldn't put money on it.

[Wilson]

mcleish would be too perfect. wont happen.

[Teasy]

Was Di Fanti not an appointment recommended by Di Canio?

 

Other way around

 

But Di Canio came in 3 months before De Fanti.