BBC News: Paolo Di Canio appointed Sunderland head coach

[Nomoreheroes]

Your opinion.

Hoddle walked out....Williams walked out.....Ardilles walked out....Macari walked.

All dead to you are they?

The only one I would liken PDC's departure to is Hoddle.

1. Williams was before my time.
2. Macari had earned his opportunity imho. I was disappointed he left but understood and wished him well.
3. I don't remember Ardiles going, so couldn't have thought it that big a deal at the time.
4. I was really pissed off that Hoddle left. I thought it was a case of rats deserting the sinking ship. (I was pissed off with Calderwood too). I felt he should have showed loyalty and stayed with us for our Premiership year. We must be one of the only teams in history that rocked up in the top flight with a weaker team than the year before!

If PDC was the loyal and honourable man that he likes to try to portray, then he wouldn't have kicked up a fuss during a time we were vulnerable and would have seen the season out. That would have given the club breathing space to plan for the future. If that had happened, I wouldn't have been totally happy, but PDC wouldn't be dead to me.

[donkey]

What if you needed a doctor and that doctor was the only one around?

Well he wouldn't be.  However, there are always choices, and I guess you could set up a series of scenarios to make my choices difficult (or almost impossible), should you wish.

[Bukkake Regiment]

Not to me he aint...for me in the top three Swindon managers.

Your doctor could be fascist.....your milkman could be....your fireman could be....your headmaster could be.

It is there jobs and how they do it that should matter.....the same should count for footy managers in my opinion.

Who gives a single fuck in what ideology in life the football manager of your club supports.

I hope he does a good as job there.....the Sunderland fans wont give a shit as long as he gets the passion we had down here....i am starting to miss it already.

Brilliant post.

[jonny72]

They didn't have hissy fits in public though before leaving. Went to bigger jobs

Exactly - they got better offers, accepted them and fucked off. I'm sure I was bitter at the time but it's passed.

I can't see me forgiving PDC for the way he did it, the way he handled it and the timing.

He's dead to me as well.

[RedRag]

Well he wouldn't be.  However, there are always choices, and I guess you could set up a series of scenarios to make my choices difficult (or almost impossible), should you wish.

That's true

I just don't see PDC as a fascist in a political sense (he hasn't voted for 14 years I believe and never for the far right) and he clearly has no sympathies with the extremes of Mussolini, let alone Hitler.  

He's just a bit authoritarian.

I'm guessing the staff in his surgery would be impressively motivated...and Curly would be there with the tea while you waited.

[donkey]

That's true

I just don't see PDC as a fascist in a political sense (he hasn't voted for 14 years I believe and never for the far right) and he clearly has no sympathies with the extremes of Mussolini, let alone Hitler. 

He's just a bit authoritarian.

I'm guessing the staff in his surgery would be impressively motivated...and Curly would be there with the tea while you waited.

 

[Peter Gibbons]

Not to me he aint...for me in the top three Swindon managers.

Your doctor could be fascist.....your milkman could be....your fireman could be....your headmaster could be.

It is there jobs and how they do it that should matter.....the same should count for footy managers in my opinion.

Who gives a single fuck in what ideology in life the football manager of your club supports.

I hope he does a good as job there.....the Sunderland fans wont give a shit as long as he gets the passion we had down here....i am starting to miss it already.

Although it has been debated to death, I will just chip in to say I completely agree with this.  I would also add; what is more dangerous, somebody who happens to support fascism but has seemingly never done anything untoward, never said publicly anything particularly offensive (I expect I will be corrected on this), and never had any designs on becoming a political leader, or somebody that publicly states a person of "x" political belief should not be allowed to earn a crust?

[mystical_goat]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BGv6dafCYAAoeyc.jpg

[Peter Gibbons]

[url width=200]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BGv6dafCYAAoeyc.jpg[/url]

Haha, spot on (and I liked the guy)!

[Not that Nice If I'm Honest]

Lenin is a historical political figure, responsible for 100's of thousand, probably millions of politically "justified" deaths
He was a revolutionary in favor of workers' rights, but once in power he outlawed all trade unions.

Mussolini is a historical political figure, also responsible for many politically "justified" deaths, probably less than Lenin, but nonetheless, similarly brutal.

(both pretty despicable men in my opinion)

The Durham Miners association have a banner celebrating Lenin, and have a leader who apparently describes himself as Leninist, and refused on the radio a few days ago, to condemn mass murders committed by the Russian Communists

Paolo Di Canio has a fascination with Mussolini, but as far as I know, does not preach his ideology.

The guys with the banner are condemning the guy with the private opinion

[horlock07]

That's true

I just don't see PDC as a fascist in a political sense (he hasn't voted for 14 years I believe and never for the far right) and he clearly has no sympathies with the extremes of Mussolini, let alone Hitler. 

He's just a bit authoritarian.

I'm guessing the staff in his surgery would be impressively motivated...and Curly would be there with the tea while you waited.

Indeed, the more I think about this I actually don't think he has facist ideals and instead is more of a man who is desparate to be the 'man of his people' and the centre of the story.

Arm salutes - possibly just him wanting to be the hero of the ultra's who do thus, in no way does that make it acceptable but I suspect he never thought about it, or if he did decided it was worth it to get the adoration he desparately craves.

Book quotes - He may be fascinated by Mussolini as such people are normally complex and thus interesting charcaters who many normal sane people find fascinating (how many books have been written about the psychology of Hitler by people who would probably accept being 'fascinated' by him, doesn't make them Nazi's). Equalluy though that and the whole fascist quote thing was controversial, got peiople talking about PdC and made him the centre of the story again.

Italy is very different culturally to the UK and I suspect that when these mid 2000's activities/quotes occured he never thought he would be subject to the scrutiny of the media outside Italy, instead they perpetuated the Di Canio myth, its just coming back to bite him big style now being grabbed by both sides of the argument (who can be as bad as one another at times).

It's actually quite fascinating to watch this, as much for response of the british public/media as for PdC's actions.

[donkey]

The Durham Miners association have a banner celebrating Lenin, and have a leader who apparently describes himself as Leninist, and refused on the radio a few days ago, to condemn mass murders committed by the Russian Communists.

Well that is also appalling.  It is easy enough to be a Marxist, without being a Marxist-Leninist.

I also noticed at Doncaster they used Lenin's image on what seemed to be a season ticket promotion - a pretty tasteless act, imho.

[horlock07]

I also noticed at Doncaster they used Lenin's image on what seemed to be a season ticket promotion - a pretty tasteless act, imho.

Was he a big Doncaster fan then?

[tans]

Haha Comrade Ryan's August Revolution.

Classy that.

[BruceChatwin]

Exactly - they got better offers, accepted them and fucked off. I'm sure I was bitter at the time but it's passed.

I can't see me forgiving PDC for the way he did it, the way he handled it and the timing.

He's dead to me as well.

I actually find managers dumping us for another club far more of a grating betrayal than someone departing on however fucked up a matter of principle to enter unemployment.

There aren't many ways to leave a club that don't result in a fan backlash. There's either dumping your current team for a bigger club which is an acknowledgement that you think other teams are better or there's being fired as a result of poor results/ relegation which even though there is no malicious intent still leaves everyone hating you (e.g. Wilson).

Everyone acknowledged having Di Canio in charge was like going on a roller-coaster, and someone used a good analogy on here after he left: roller-coasters always end up at the bottom. The highs of the past may have been higher in terms of footballing achievement, but I don't remember a more complete sense of positivity throughout the club than when we were coasting to the League 2 title with Andrew Black the seemingly rich and stable benefactor, Jeremy Wray the open, eloquent chairman acting as a go between with the fans, and Di Canio the fucked up national media attention grabbing opposition fan baiting man orchestrating it all, working the players doubly hard for their money, furiously jumping on the touchline demanding more from them when we were 3-0 up and raising his scarf above his head at the end in celebration with the fans after another total victory. 

What's tarnished all those memories is not the way he left, however much it annoyed me at the time, but the subsequent revelation he was/ is considering suing the club after abandoning us off his own back. However fondly I look back on the good times, that has pretty much eroded my good will and makes it very difficult for me to wish him well for the future. Would have been a lot happier if he'd struggled to find employment a while longer so he could come to realise the mistakes he made with us. As it is he will go on thinking the worst aspects of his management style are acceptable.