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Niall Quinn: 'Paolo Di Canio reign was a debacle'

Former Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn labels Paolo Di Canio's time in charge of the club as a "debacle" and is impressed with the start his successor Gus Poyet has made.

Former Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has labelled Paolo Di Canio's time in charge of the club as a "debacle".

Di Canio took over from Martin O'Neill at the Stadium of Light last season but lasted just 13 games, saving the Black Cats from relegation in 2012-13 but only picking up one point from the opening five matches of the current campaign.

Gus Poyet has since replaced the controversial Italian at the helm of the club, and Quinn has been impressed with the job that the new boss has done so far.

"When I left, I did feel Martin O'Neill was the right man and it would go from strength to strength, and I am as puzzled as any Sunderland fan as to why that relationship - Martin O'Neill and Sunderland football club - isn't still going and isn't thriving. The Paolo Di Canio thing, we now know, was a debacle in many respects. Everyone will remember the Newcastle result [a 3-0 win]. But it was not to be," Quinn told reporters.

"I don't know Gus Poyet but I think if I had been at the club, I don't think Gus Poyet would have hit my radar as strong as it did Ellis Short. From the outside looking in I really like what I see. I am more than pleasantly surprised. He has a real thirst and vitality that he wants to make this work. It's very important that he is buying into the region, like I did all those years ago. I like that.

"But I also like the way he has a team who are down at the bottom of the league, supposedly doomed to relegation, all the fears in the world should be there, and they played some beautiful football yesterday against Manchester City. Wes Brown was an inspiring leader to come back in and do what he did after 22 months out. It tells me there something good happening in the dressing room."

Sunderland currently sit 19th in the Premier League table but are now just three points from safety following yesterday's 1-0 win over Manchester City.

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Wes Brown (#5) of Sunderland celebrates scoring his teams third goal of the game during the Barclays Premier League match between Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland at Loftus Road on December 21, 2011
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds17105231121935
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1711422491535
3Burnley179622161533
4Sunderland1796226121433
5Watford179262624229
6Middlesbrough178362920927
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom176921811727
8Blackburn RoversBlackburn167452017325
9Millwall166641914524
10Norwich CityNorwich175753125622
11Swansea CitySwansea176471615122
12Bristol City175752021-122
13Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds176472026-622
14Stoke CityStoke175661920-121
15Derby CountyDerby175572122-120
16Luton TownLuton175391829-1118
17Coventry CityCoventry174582225-317
18Oxford UnitedOxford Utd174581927-817
19Preston North EndPreston173861624-817
20Plymouth ArgylePlymouth174581834-1617
21Cardiff CityCardiff174491526-1116
22Hull City173681623-715
23Queens Park RangersQPR172871526-1114
24Portsmouth152671628-1212


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