Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has threatened the misbehaving players at the club by saying that they will be sold in the summer if they do not change their actions. Sunderland managed to avoid relegation after Wigan’s 4-0 defeat against Arsenal in the midweek action.
This saw a number of Sunderland players go into town and party extremely hard. Former Swindon town manager Paolo Di Canio, who was appointed as the replacement for Martin O’Neill, has been extremely vocal in his need for discipline within the squad.
Yet, former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley was pictured in a nightclub ahead of the crucial match with Tottenham on the final day of the season. He was seen with Matthew Kilgallon and both these players were omitted for the 1-0 defeat against Tottenham. After the match, Di Canio threatened his players by saying that they will be sold if they continue with their irresponsible actions. More than seven players have been fined by the club for various reasons since the arrival of Di Canio.
He has branded the actions by his players as pathetic, and he has warned them of huge consequences if they persist with the same next season as well. Sunderland finished narrowly outside the drop zone.
“These players will not be here next year – not under me. The owner and I are going to sit at the table and go through but he knows many things. This is what he told me before: ‘Relax, don’t worry because we are going to change many things’, so it sounds like he supports me completely. We will see in the future. It was disgusting. These people can’t train with me. We were talking about strict rules. I have to tell you unfortunately I found a worse environment in terms of discipline in this club,” said Di Canio.