Paolo Di Canio new favourite for the sack Paolo Di Canio has been installed as the new favourite in the Premier League Sack Race following Sunderland's poor start to the campaign. The Black Cats fell to a poor 3-1 defeat at newly promoted Crystal Palace on Saturday, leaving them second from bottom with just a point to their name from their opening three games. The Italian lambasted his players following the defeat at Selhurst Park, with his defenders coming under fire for conceding "rubbish" goals. The 45-year-old has also been forced to stoutly defend his methods and insisted that his regime will produce results. However, the fixture list has thrown up an extremely cruel series of matches for his struggling side whose next seven consecutive home games are against Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, Newcastle, Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham. Di Canio had some brief respite during the week when his side produced a stunning late rally to come back from two goals down to beat MK Dons in the Capital One Cup. However, his side's league form has been awful, forcing the bookmakers to cut his odds down to 3/1 (Sky Bet), as he replaces Alan Pardew at the top of the pile. Meanwhile Bet Victor are offering odds of 6/5 for Di Canio not to be in charge of Sunderland come the last day of the season. Paolo Di Canio 3/1 Alan Pardew 5/1 Martin Jol 8/1 Steve Clarke 10/1 Ian Holloway 10/1 Chris Hughton 20/1 Andre Villas-Boas 20/1 Mauricio Pochettino 20/1 Roberto Martinez 20/1 http://www.thesackrace.com/news/2nd-september-2013/paolo-di-canio-new-favourite-for-the-sack
Steve Clarke is a hell of a price. I fancy that. If Ki connects defence with attack, Paolo's problems could quickly disappear.
If WBA get Anichebe and Sess, coupled with Amalfitano already signed and the players they already have they will be mid table.
not a huge surprise. Any club that finds itself in the bottom 3 will have their manager in the frame for the chop
No way mate. Anichebe is hardly a goal machine 18 goals in 131 I don't how Amalfitano represents any less of a risk than any of our signings and as for Sess, lets be honest, He struggled for consistency at PSG he struggled for it with us, Odds are he's not suddenly become anything else. West Brom are gonna struggle like a lot of us.
I am starting to see things in Di Canio that I don't like - the public slating of O'Shea and constantly playing a player who has been comfortably one of our worst this season (Ji) - Cabral was close to MOTM against Fulham and hasn't played in the PL since (??) If you tell a player you don't want to hear the apology you do it in private - not in the paper. I don't think he'll be sacked at all and I hope it works out - but our major problem now is that we're 19th in the table and have some very hard games coming up. Replacing Sessegnon with Borini is madness too - Borini, when he played, was nowhere near the player Sessegnon is and he is very injury prone. I truly hope Paolo knows what he's doing but I am very worried
This! The Cabral situation is certainly a head scratcher! I was sort of 50/50 when I heard we could lose Sess! But losing him to West Brom will leave a bitter taste! Especially when we wont replace him with equal quality! I knew this season could have swung both ways! But to have such huge doubts after only 3 games, I was not expecting! Typical Sunderland!
You may be right Bri but there is one thing you must agree with, WBA are strengthening their squad and we are not. Do you think they will be near us next May? Anichebe is a presence, centre forwards don't always score bucket loads of goals, but the ones that don't create problems and allow others to get the goals (Quinn and Phillips) Don't know Amalfitano at all, but my thoughts on Sess are well documented, I think he will improve most teams.
We've brought in 11 players to West Brom's 2 as soon as Borini scribbles his mark then we've brought the same amount of players in one week than WBA have in the whole Summer. Take your point on Anichebe but they're crying out for a goal scorer. They haven't replaced Lukaku at all. I think we'll finish above them.
O Shea did not purposely bring the Palace player down, and we should have had a penalty our selves. Selling Mig and Sess could be PDC's biggest mistake, like Bruce selling Bent and Jones
I hope you are right mate and I will get right behind them at the Arsenal game. Your point about bringing eleven players in is misleading, we have brought them in but we started three of them on Saturday, which suggests to me that they are either development squad or polyfilla. It's our first eleven that I want to see strengthened, and in my opinion, you don't do that by selling Sess, and Mig and freezing out Cattermole.
Two are development mate, Watmore & Ba. Think the young wingers will be 1st team squad. At the end of last season we knew what state we were in. It's going to take a hell of alot more than 1 window and 3 months to turn it around. It's bleak but true. That's why I'm not as angry as some because what they are expecting is damn right unreasonable. Just got to ride the storm and do our job as fans instead of holding them back. I think we'll have a much much better 2014. Catt's hasn't been frozen out mate. He's injured. Don't believe anything you read in the papers cause they've all got it in for Paolo and the Bastards are quite happy to sacrifice us to get to him.
Disagree about Mignolet - selling him was required as we'd have got nowt for him next window - and Westwood is proving to be a very good keeper (although Mannone isn't!!) Getting Borini to replace Sessegnon - IMO pure crazy as Borini is injured more than Mensah and, when he plays (from what I've seen) - isn't that good anyway!
And look who are way up the list, all managers that Sunderland supporters have claimed, at various times, that they'd like here. Martin Jol 8/1 Ian Holloway 10/1 Chris Hughton 20/1 Shows how much some supporters know doesn't it ..............
Karlsson, Cabral, Roberge and Mavrias will not be regular starters in the first eleven, although they will get time on the park, Cattermole was frozen out because he doesn't fit DiCanio's model of a footballer, he lost the captaincy and his squad number. Catts was given a lever in by Paolo when he said anyone left after deadline day will have an opportunity. I don't believe anything I read in the papers, or on here, I'm too long in the tooth for that. I am also very disappointed in myself for appearing negative, I'm not. I hope we can all get behind Paolo and make him the success that we want him to be and he deserves for having the bottle to take on this sinking ship and make the changes that he has.
