Paolo Di Canio attacked his ‘arrogant and ignorant’ Sunderland players after saying he was disgusted by images of Phil Bardsley plastered in £50 notes after a night out. The Sunderland manager dropped Bardsley and fellow reveller Matthew Kilgallon for Sunday’s game at Tottenham and revealed he had fined five other players last week alone. Di Canio insisted none of the fi...Full Story »

The Welshman's ferocious late strike helped Spurs beat the 10-man Black Cats but they will play Europa League football next season after Arsenal won against Newcastle Gareth Bale scored a stunning late winner as Tottenham beat 10-man Sunderland 1-0 at White Hart Lane - but it was not enough for Spurs to secure a place in the Champions League next season. Arsenal’s victory at Newcastle ...Full Story »

Tottenham suffered yet more Champions League heartache as they missed out on a top-four berth to Arsenal despite yet another wonder goal from Gareth Bale. Referee Andre Marriner denied Tottenham two clear penalties before Bale fired home his 26th goal of the season right at the death to give the home side a 1-0 win over Sunderland. Villas-Boas and his backroom staff were incensed at Marriner's...Full Story »

The Italian boldly claims that the Black Cats would have been relegated with Martin O'Neill at the helm as he believes that he and the club could be a "magic combination" Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio claims that the Black Cats would have been relegated had he not taken over from Martin O'Neill in March. The Italian's side secured survival after two consecutive 1-1 draws against Stoke Ci...Full Story »

Michael Dawson is desperately hoping Tottenham will not suffer yet more Champions League heartbreak. The only way that Tottenham will qualify for the Champions League in this weekend's final round of matches is if they beat Sunderland at White Hart Lane and the Gunners drop points at lowly Newcastle. Spurs narrowly missed out on the Champions League two years ago and last year Dawson led the t...Full Story »

Paolo Di Canio has ordered his players to obey his strict new rules or leave the club. Sunderland's players have had an easy ride under previous managers, according to the Italian, and now Barclays Premier League safety is secure he will introduce a harsher regime. Di Canio has already threatened to cut short his players' holidays depending how they trained in preparation to face Tottenham on...Full Story »

Paolo Di Canio: 'Win, lose or draw - but with dignity' Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio has threatened to cut short the summer holidays if his players do not perform at Tottenham on Sunday. Wigan's defeat at Arsenal on Tuesday ended lingering fears of relegation on Wearside. But Di Canio, with a 6-1 thrashing by Aston Villa still fresh in the memory, has warned his side that survival will be no...Full Story »

Jason Puncheon came off the bench to grab a point for Southampton and all but secure their safety, just as it looked as though Sunderland had saved themselves in their Barclays Premier League clash at the Stadium of Light which ended 1-1. The midfielder struck with 14 minutes remaining after fellow substitute James Ward-Prowse provided the ammunition to cancel out Phil Bardsley's opener, and in...Full Story »

Paolo Di Canio has warned Sunderland they will never be anything other than "average" as long as they are happy for other clubs to do their dirty work. The Black Cats are currently engaged in a tooth and nail fight for Barclays Premier League survival as they head into Sunday's home clash with Southampton just three points clear of the relegation zone. They and their fellow strugglers were han...Full Story »

John O'Shea snatched a potentially priceless point for Sunderland as they held Stoke to a 1-1 draw despite seeing Craig Gardner sent off after only 34 minutes. Defeat at the Stadium of Light would have left the Black Cats in a perilous situation just above the relegation zone but, having gone behind to Jonathan Walters' early effort, they showed great heart in the second half and deserved to se...Full Story »

Sebastian Larsson will use the embarrassment of Sunderland's humiliation at Aston Villa to fuel his bid to help them escape relegation trouble. The 27-year-old Sweden international admitted he left the pitch at Villa Park last Monday evening suffering the same emotions as the travelling fans who witnessed the 6-1 horror show. However, he will channel all that into Monday night's home clash wit...Full Story »

Paolo Di Canio has challenged his players to be more aggressive in order to ensure they avoid relegation. Sunderland face Stoke — typically physical — on Monday, when Di Canio hopes to get the one win he believes will ensure safety. Sunderland lost one of their key players for the rest of the season when Stephane Sessegnon saw red during the 6-1 defeat to Aston Villa that has left...Full Story »

Christian Benteke scored a second-half hat-trick as Aston Villa roared to their biggest win since 2008 and zoomed five points clear of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone by beating Sunderland 6-1. As they celebrated their success over a Sunderland outfit whose shuddering halt to their mini-revival included a red card for Stephane Sessegnon, the home fans wasted no time in taunting Paol...Full Story »

If there is one ground where Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio is guaranteed a welcome as hostile as St James’ Park, it is Villa Park. Although he has offered his explanation for the gesture at the end of Aston Villa’s Capital One Cup win at Swindon this season, when the Italian  manager was still in charge at the County Ground, Villa fans were incensed. Tonight he will discover t...Full Story »

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has blasted critics who have branded Martin O'Neill a dinosaur and backed his former manager to prove them wrong. Lambert had expected to be up against his mentor when Villa take on Sunderland on Monday but last month the Black Cats sacked O'Neill and replaced him with flamboyant Italian Paolo Di Canio. A storm surrounding Di Canio's political views greeted the ap...Full Story »

Stephane Sessegnon's second goal in a week handed Paolo Di Canio victory in his first home game as Sunderland eased themselves further clear of relegation trouble with a 1-0 win over Everton. The Benin international's strike in first-half injury time secured a second successive win for the Black Cats and their first over Everton in 20 attempts in all competitions. But more importantly, it was ...Full Story »

Paolo Di Canio has backed striker Danny Graham to help drag Sunderland out of relegation trouble, even if he does not break his scoring duck. The 27-year-old, a £5million January signing from Swansea, is yet to find the back of the net in eight appearances for his new club, and with leading scorer Steven Fletcher ruled out for the rest of the campaign, he is the only frontman with Barclays...Full Story »

Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher has undergone surgery on his ankle after injuring his ligaments while on international duty with Scotland.The 26-year-old is the Black Cats' leading scorer this season with 11 goals following his 12 million pound summer move from Wolves, but he has missed the last three games after landing awkwardly in his country's World Cup qualifier against Wales in March.Th...Full Story »

Paolo Di Canio launched his Tyne-Wear derby career in spectacular style as Sunderland blasted their way past Newcastle to ease their relegation fears with a 3-0 victory at St James' Park. The Black Cats, who arrived on Tyneside without a win in nine Barclays Premier League games, were simply too good for their hosts, who were never able to muster the intensity they needed to deny their neighbou...Full Story »

Newcastle full-back Danny Simpson has prescribed a dose of derby day glory as the perfect antidote to their Europa League heartache. The 26-year-old and his team-mates came agonisingly close to clawing their way past Benfica and into the semi-finals on Thursday evening before a last-gasp Eduardo Salvio goal halted their late charge. However, despite their disappointment, the Magpies have been ...Full Story »