[Archived] Relegation threatened Sunderland sack manager Martin O'Neill

[Guest Norbert]

I think he was manager at Nazio for a while too, but I agree with your general point BB. It is a mad appointment, and if someone told me it would happen on Friday, I'd be a bit shocked.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Miliband's off to the US for at least the next 3 years so he probably would have left Sunderland anyway. Tony took his cue from the evil one who has made a fortune on the US speaking circuit until she went ga-ga.

There were a few nutcases on here who wanted Di Canio to replace Kean. Where are they now ?

I hadn't realised she'd gone ga-ga Jim, I thought she was like that from birth.

[Baz]

Extremely risky appointment by Sunderland. At best I can only see it having a short term impact. I cant see many top professionals wanting to play for him.

Can never understand sacking someone after a defeat by one of the big 5 clubs.

If thats the standard Sunderland can attract, makes me fear for our choices.

[K-Hod]

Extremely risky appointment by Sunderland. At best I can only see it having a short term impact. I cant see many top professionals wanting to play for him.

Can never understand sacking someone after a defeat by one of the big 5 clubs.

If thats the standard Sunderland can attract, makes me fear for our choices.

It sounds pre-meditated to me, with the time it took to replace O'Neill, a very quick turnaround....

[Hanks]

Article about concern over his political beliefs here. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/apr/01/paolo-di-canio-fascism-sunderland?CMP=twt_gu

[thenodrog]

Article about concern over his political beliefs here. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/apr/01/paolo-di-canio-fascism-sunderland?CMP=twt_gu

A man's politics are his own business and no one elses if he doesn't choose to disclose them. I don't know who that Piara Power is but he/she has no manners and no breeding to make such a request.

[Paul Mellelieu]

A man's politics are his own business and no one elses if he doesn't choose to disclose them. I don't know who that Piara Power is but he/she has no manners and no breeding to make such a request.

Perhaps...but DiCanio has made his love of Italian fascism a public issue, from the salutes, to the Mussolini tattoo.

It's a cliche, but our grandparents fought on foreign fields to stop the likes of DiCanio.

[Amo]

It's a cliche, but our grandparents fought on foreign fields to stop the likes of DiCanio.

WWII wasn't a war against fascism.

[thenodrog]

Perhaps...but DiCanio has made his love of Italian fascism a public issue, from the salutes, to the Mussolini tattoo.

It's a cliche, but our grandparents fought on foreign fields to stop the likes of DiCanio.

Bit melodramatic macca. You can't cherrypick like that cos our ancestors fought all over the world for a variety of causes and most of em to do with politics, power or avarice.

[jim mk2]

WWII wasn't a war against fascism.

History rewritten, thank you AJP Taylor.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

WWII wasn't a war against fascism.

No ? Enlighten who it was fought against then.

[RevidgeBlue]

Perhaps...but DiCanio has made his love of Italian fascism a public issue, from the salutes, to the Mussolini tattoo.

It's a cliche, but our grandparents fought on foreign fields to stop the likes of DiCanio.

My father in my case but I think it's a huge over-reaction to compare that to Di Canio's political beliefs. And almost an insulting trivialisation of the efforts of our forefathers.

Di Canio is there to manage a football Club. Nothing else. If he uses his position as a platform to promote any beliefs he might have then he'd be in very hot water. And rightly so. As should apply to anyone who did the same whatever their political persuasion.

In pure footballing terms it's a massive gamble given his relative inexperience and volatility. However I think it's a very brave gamble and I think he could do very well. I'm sure most Sunderland fans won't give two hoots about his political persuasions come Christmas if he keeps them up and has them riding high in the Premiership.

That said I'm sure jim will be quick to point out I fancied us to win today so who knows?

[Hanks]

WWII wasn't a war against fascism.

Are you saying that Hitler and Mussolini where just misunderstood?

[Amo]

No ? Enlighten who it was fought against then.

WWII was about Hitler's invasion of Europe. We're talking Nazism there, not fascism.

Italy had been a fascist government since 1924. Why hadn't Britain & France et al, declared war on them if we're talking about war against an actual political ideology?

[thenodrog]

WW2 was a war against German expansionism. If Hitler had 'kept his dick in his pants' so to speak GB and France etc were quite happy to have (a previously forbidden but now militarily strong) Nazi Germany as a buffer between them and Uncle Joe's communist Russia. Facism per sae was inconsequential to us, the real fear was the spread of communism.

[Guest Norbert]

Nazism is a form of Fascism, adapted for Hitler and co.'s strange views about Jews, east Europeans etc.

But you're [Amarillo] broadly right that Facism in all it's forms was not the enemy. Italy sat on the fence until it looked like Hitler would win, which gave France the excuse to back out of taking them on until Italy joined in with Germany after the war in the west was started. And Spain just kept it's head down, and Franco ruled until the 70's.

Apologies for being pedantic.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

WWII was about Hitler's invasion of Europe. We're talking Nazism there, not fascism.Italy had been a fascist government since 1924. Why hadn't Britain & France et al, declared war on them if we're talking about war against an actual political ideology?

So the Nazi's weren't fascists then. I see.

[martonrover]

Despite what some have written on here, I would personally beg O'Neill to take over immediately.

[Paul Mellelieu]

My father in my case but I think it's a huge over-reaction to compare that to Di Canio's political beliefs. And almost an insulting trivialisation of the efforts of our forefathers.

Di Canio is there to manage a football Club. Nothing else. If he uses his position as a platform to promote any beliefs he might have then he'd be in very hot water. And rightly so. As should apply to anyone who did the same whatever their political persuasion.

In pure footballing terms it's a massive gamble given his relative inexperience and volatility. However I think it's a very brave gamble and I think he could do very well. I'm sure most Sunderland fans won't give two hoots about his political persuasions come Christmas if he keeps them up and has them riding high in the Premiership.

That said I'm sure jim will be quick to point out I fancied us to win today so who knows?

What is an insult is a football manager parading a tattoo to a man who imprisoned and murdered his fellow citizens, swapped notes with Hitler and sent countless young Brits to their death. This is the man championed by Sunderland's manager. The Italian's had the right idea, they hund Mussolini from a lamp post.

[RevidgeBlue]

What is an insult is a football manager parading a tattoo to a man who imprisoned and murdered his fellow citizens, swapped notes with Hitler and sent countless young Brits to their death. This is the man championed by Sunderland's manager. The Italian's had the right idea, they hund Mussolini from a lamp post.

I'm not going to take any issue with your views on Mussolini, but it doesn't affect what I've said a few posts above.

I wasn't aware there was any issue at all about Di Canio's political standpoint until a few people complained about it when I and maybe one or two others suggested him for our job. That doesn't suggest to me he rams his beliefs down people's throats at every opportunity.

Perhaps if people really don't want to hear about Di Canio's political beliefs or his tattoo (which again I was completely unaware he had) perhaps they should stop asking him?

Apologies if that sounds flippant, it 's not meant to be. However it does illustrate my view that the the issue about his political allegiances is only a problem to the extent you want it to be.

[cn174]

Noone was arsed when he was only a league 1 manager

[Paul Mellelieu]

Noone was arsed when he was only a league 1 manager

Not true. Local sponsors GMB withdrew support for Swindon.

I'm not going to take any issue with your views on Mussolini, but it doesn't affect what I've said a few posts above.

I wasn't aware there was any issue at all about Di Canio's political standpoint until a few people complained about it when I and maybe one or two others suggested him for our job. That doesn't suggest to me he rams his beliefs down people's throats at every opportunity.

Perhaps if people really don't want to hear about Di Canio's political beliefs or his tattoo (which again I was completely unaware he had) perhaps they should stop asking him?

Apologies if that sounds flippant, it 's not meant to be. However it does illustrate my view that the the issue about his political allegiances is only a problem to the extent you want it to be.

I understand your point, but google DiCanio and Mussolini and there's pages of the stuff. He was banned and fined by the Italian foobtall authorities and the infamous salute was all over the press. I wish it wasn't so, because the guy has a lot going for him.

[thenodrog]

1. GMB? Had to google that..... But why would some little known Trade Union sponsor a football club in the first place? Surely supporting already massively overpaid footballers is not what their membership fees should be used for is it or even what Trade Unions should be about?

2. I seem to rem that unlike the Communist Party in the UK attracting a few dislocated and emittered kranks the pale pink Italian communist party actually held a significant position in Italian politics. So isn't the rise in facism simply an equal and opposite reaction to that situation in a free democratic system rather than the typical oppression practised by various Jack Booted communist regimes around the world, which find the only way to hold power is to subjugate the population by banning all political opposition entirely?

3. Why would Sunderland even want David Milliband as a Director once it became known that he was never ever going to be the PM?

According to Kevin McGuire this morning Milliband drew 125k for a fortnights work as Sunderland Director! Do you think that now he has recently developed into a benign, caring and charitable person that he might hand that over to some of his windfall to charity? How about giving some to the benefits agencies to assist people whose benefits are being cut to pay for their Sky contract that New Labour are currently pretending to be concerned about?

4. Is it illegal to hold fascist views? Yes or No?

[broadsword]

Perhaps...but DiCanio has made his love of Italian fascism a public issue, from the salutes, to the Mussolini tattoo.

It's a cliche, but our grandparents fought on foreign fields to stop the likes of DiCanio.

For heaven's sakes, he's a football manager. Not a politician or a recruiting sargeant for the National Front.

I think the real issue here is that you would like to suppress points of view you are not comfortable with. He's not broken any laws, and as far as I'm aware not given the fascist salute in the UK, nor is he likely to. Telling Sunderland who they can and can't hire because you don't like their viewpoint seems fascistic itself to me.

[Paul Mellelieu]

How could it be illegal to hold any kind of view?

Miliband isn't the issue either, not are the various shades of Communist parties, including the Italian on which, as you suggest, became part of the government in what is known as the 'historic compromise'.

The least DiCanio can do is explain what he means when he says he's a fascist.