Over the weekend, Sunderland AFC decided to remove Martin O'Neill from his post as manager. This is unbearably sad for many of us, who for so long had wanted him to be our manager, and welcomed him with open arms when he arrived about sixteen months ago.
After a blistering start, during which the team displayed all the typical qualities of past teams managed by Martin O'Neill, and which saved the club from what looked like certain relegation, we have now stalled to such an alarming extent that even those like myself, who would always have been last out of the Amen Corner for Martin, could begin to understand the reasons .
On the face of it this reversals of fortunes, which represents Martin's first failure in management is utterly inexplicable .The team have lost all the energy and passion they exhibited in those first few months and the team which survived comfortably last season , and has had £30m spent on it, looks doomed with seven games to go. I hope it remains inexplicable and that there is nothing ailing this dignified man that has transmitted itself to the team. So good luck in the future Martin, thanks for coming, God bless and don't stop supporting us!
But if you are a Sunderland supporter you expect if nothing else, a forthcoming calamity. It's what we are expert at. Bang on cue and as if to prove it we have appointed Paulo Di Canio as our new manager. A brilliant recent footballer, but a rookie manager who comes with a charismatic character, sufficient to light up the place. Maybe, just maybe it will be enough, but don't put your house on it!
But of course there is more than that to it. There has to be, it's Sunderland and nothing is straight forward. Mr Di Canio it turns out has in the past expressed some sympathy for an Italian fascist political party and is being pilloried for it relentlessly. As far as I know this political persuasion is is not illegal. Indeed it is probably half baked; asking a footballer about politics is likely to elicit the same sense as would asking a politician about football.
No matter. It is deemed by the media that he might be unashamedly "right wing" , (do these people know about the left wing origins of fascism?) and therefore he must be hounded. You wonder, had he professed a similar interest in Communism or Socialism, (not the fascist socialism of the 30's of course, oh no!) would he have been so treated? Well you don't wonder at all do you? You know. He wouldn't have been.
