LONDON: Hull manager Steve Bruce believes Paulo Di Canio’s heavy-handed managerial style was one of the key reasons that led to the Italian’s downfall as he was sacked as Sunderland head coach at the weekend.
Despite saving the club from relegation last season, a woefall start to the new campaign leaves them rooted to the bottom of the table with just one point from five games.
“You cannot manage in the Premier League these days through a fear factor,” Bruce told talkSPORT. “You’ve got to be able to manage individuals.
“Man management has become more relevant in my experience than coaching.
“Once you get yourself in the Premier League, they’re all good players and you’ve got to find a way of getting the best out of them.
“It’s never been my style to criticise anyone in public and I’m disappointed for Paolo. He’s a character.
“A manager’s lost his job. Management is a lonely place and he’s lost his job this morning. I feel sorry for any manager in that position. I’ve gone through it and it’s not nice.”
Reports of a bust-up with two senior players and lack of trust within the dressing room over Di Canio’s approach were also believed to have forced club owner Ellis Short to bring down the axe.
However there was also disbelief at the sacking with former England captain and Newcastle icon Alan Shearer defending the Italian.
“I’m amazed, I really am amazed. Paolo Di Canio hasn’t changed from the guy he was a year or two ago,” he told the BBC.
“I assume, maybe naively, that Sunderland owner Ellis Short and his chief executive did their homework on Paolo before they went and hired him to do the job.”
Short’s next task is to find a replacement for the man he appointed in a storm of controversy last year. Critics rounded on Di Canio’s alleged fascist sympathies, prompting the club to make a stout defence of their new manager.
After debates about his political views had died down, Di Canio kept Sunderland in the Premier League thanks in part to a memorable 3-0 victory over rivals Newcastle at St James’ Park, but little else in his regime went right.AFP
