Former Sunderland Manager Paulo Di Canio has launched a verbal attack on four of his former players, in yet another controversial twist in the tales of Di Canio.
John O’Shea, Lee Cattermole, Steven Fletcher and Phil Bardsley have all been targeted by their former manager, in a rather bizarre war of words.
The harsh words may seem a bit out of the blue, with Cattermole’s return sparking an out cry from the Italian.
Di Canio was sacked from his role on the 21st September following a heavy 3-0 defeat at the Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion, bringing a colourful end to his time on Weirside.
And the Italian didn’t hold back on his quotes about both Cattermole, and full back Phil Bardsley.
Di Canio stated….
“Those two players [Cattermole and Bardsley] were rotten,” he said. “The most unprofessional players I ever worked with. What Bardsley has done in the last year speaks volumes. Photos of him lying on the floor in a casino covered by £50 notes and laughing at the team losing on the opening day, that’s public. It’s no surprise these players were kicked out of my plans. The reason Sunderland stayed up at the end of last season was because Cattermole was injured and Bardsley played very little.”
Di Canio believes Sunderland are deeply embroiled in another relegation battle partly because of their “weak” mentality and he used the term two-faced to describe his former captain, O’Shea.
“I don’t like people who, when they speak to you, don’t look into your eyes,” said the 45-year-old Italian who now believes it is his “destiny” to manage West Ham. “He [O’Shea] should say sorry to some of his team-mates for the many times he came into my office to say something unfavourable about them. This is the same person that also came to me when I first took over and said things about [Martin] O’Neill.”
Ironically, those players Di Canio targeted have all found solidarity, and a new lease of life under current boss Gus Poyet, who has guided the club to a Wembley Final, with Sunderland advancing through on penalties against Manchester United in the League Cup.
Di Canio revealed it his his “destiny” to manage West Ham” and wants the hotseat at Upton Park, before going onto say…
“He [O’Shea] should say sorry to some of his team-mates for the many times he came into my office to say something unfavourable about them. This is the same person that also came to me when I first took over and said things about [Martin] O’Neill.”
Di Canio id still fuming at Steven Fletcher, following claims about training ground antics, including a revelation of benned Tomato Sauce.
“I don’t like people fooling around when we’re having a serious discussion about strategy,” said Poyet’s predecessor. “I don’t like people who laugh when they keep missing the goal in training or miss a tackle that leads to conceding a goal.”
By Ben Reardon
@BenReardon1
