Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio bans mobiles, ketchup, mayonnaise, ice in coke and singing
Paolo Di Canio has revealed the extent of his hard-line approach at Sunderland after he banned his players from having mobile phones, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and ice in Coca-Cola at the clubâs training ground.
The Italian has attempted to revolutionise the culture at the Wearside clubâs training base this summer, as well as overhauling his squad, as he prepares for his first full season in charge.
Sunderland limped over the line last season, ending the Premier League campaign without a win in their last four matches and finishing just one place above the relegation zone. Di Canio, who replaced Martin OâNeill in March, wants his dramatic intervention in his playersâ training-ground routine to ensure a more comfortable campaign.
âThis is a complete revolution,â he said as Sunderland prepare to host Fulham on Saturday. âItâs not just in the way we play, but in how we approach everything. Itâs been difficult.
âWeâve focused on changing the whole dressing-room environment. Imagine if for years your habit is to use the phone when youâre having a massage on the bed, even one minute before going out to train? For 25 days I accepted this, because my first priority was to work on the field. However, Iâve said that from now if someone comes inside with a mobile phone, even in their bag, Iâll throw it in the North Sea. Theyâre banned.
âI say that because itâs not acceptable. Iâve told the players that Iâve adapted to them and been lenient, but Iâve also told them what is and isnât possible in a new environment.â
There were suggestions last season that Di Canioâs attitude had alienated members of his squad, but the Italian insisted his methods were receiving support.
He added: âIn general, the players are getting the message. Maybe one or two will never understand, but some who I thought might have a hard time taking things on board have pleasantly surprised me. Gone are the days of a player coming in and boasting about drinking seven beers the night before.
âNow they arrive an hour early for training. Before theyâd get here with 10 minutes to spare. Stephane Sessegnon was always the first to leave, five minutes after training. Now, he stays late. People can change. It depends how you teach them.â
âWe need to have lectures about why we canât have every day things like mayonnaise, ketchup and coke.
âThey can cause chemical problems to the liver, to the stomach. If you have ice with coke you can have indigestion. I know players whoâve had ice with their coke the night before a game and then couldnât play. Even coffee can be a problem. You can have one when you get up, but not an hour before you go out training or playing. We give the players diet sheets to follow.
âObviously, you have to enjoy life. I wonât say anything if one day you like to go and have a cheeseburger. I ban my daughter from going to places like that, but I know sometimes she goes because she enjoys it and because itâs typical of a student. It is all right, but not as a habit.â
His plan at the club, he insists, is to make sure his plans are plain. âWe go step by step because I want our game to be clear,â he said. âThere is a clear methodology. I know itâs not interesting for the people who focus their attention on me because of some things I did in the past and because I have passion on the touchline and sometimes friction, but there is a clear, clear methodology.â
Di Canio also appeared to reserve a sideswipe for Titus Bramble, the defender who left in the summer with a bitter parting shot at the Italianâs management style.
âSomeone will always be unhappy, like some stupid guy that left already,â he said. âIf you ought to be 88 kilos and you are 104.8 kilos then you wonât like my regime. And thatâs a regular footballer, not one after six months out injured. Itâs just unprofessional, an insult to a real professional. He can maintain his opinion, but heâs probably not very clever.â
Nice little pop at Bramble there mindâ¦
Tbf if there is scientific evidence to prove what he says (and I imagine there is) then hes showing incredibly good care of the players!
Could be a season we arent hampered by injuries!