The breaking news in the Swindon Advertiser is that Paolo Di Canio has resigned and walked away from Swindon Town Football Club. In some ways, history is repeating itself in that Lou Macari, then the manager and architect of a resurgent team, was sacked after less than one year in the role. That was 1985 and a protest by the fans saw the board overturn their own decision and reinstate the former Manchester United player as manager. Paolo Di Canio has been in the role for a bit longer than Macari had been, but he has now sadly departed. Once again, those that run the club have managed to shoot themselves in the foot and the new owners will find a hostile reception waiting for them when they take over the reins for allowing the charismatic Italian to go.Unfortunately, I think in this case, a fans protest will be to no avail. The new owners have probably a manager in mind who they would like to have in charge of the team, but, not since the days of Macari has Swindon Town Football Club had in Di Canio a manager who had such a rapport with the fans along with a sense of direction on the pitch. The team is still riding high, but the "team" includes the manager and his backroom staff. The behind the scenes team will no doubt follow Paolo Di Canio and how long will it be before the discipline and hard work that they helped instil in the players erodes and, along with it, the performances?
Footnote:
As of the morning of 19th February, the club hasn't stated whether it has accepted Paolo Di Canio's resignation...could there be a further twist in the tale?
No comments:
Post a Comment