You Know What ... Di Canio Could Have A Point

Last updated : 15 May 2013 By Footy Mad - Editor

For legal reasons I''m not suggesting Stephane Sessegnon and Craig Gardner are missing out on the end of the season "fun" at Sunderland because they want a holiday in Dubia.

But Paolo Di Canio is!

dThe duo received red cards against Aston Villa and Stoke City respectively, earning them three game bans which prevented them from being involved in the final few games of Sunderland’s season.

Paolo Di Canio: “They work more than the others.

“Just because they can’t play, it’s still an occasion to build their strength and fitness – after all, in a week’s time, they will have a holiday.

“Although we think they are fantastic professionals, we don’t know whether they will have one month’s rest and come back for pre-season not strong enough to come through.

“So, now, if it’s possible they work harder than the others under me to give them a much better chance of coming back fitter and sharper.

“If you allow them to go on holiday after being sent off, you can imagine players TRYING to get a three-match ban!

“That’s the end of the world in my opinion.

“Players are going to try to tackle badly and then get two weeks off to go to Dubai?

“No, no, no.

“Even though we trust them, pro-action is better than reaction.

“They join in with training of course and they enjoy their football but we make it clear that for them it is all about trying to help their team-mates.

“They are not just training for themselves in these situations – they need to focus in training on doing anything they can which will help benefit the team on match day.

“We have a small squad, so these two can still make important contributions in training.

“That is how it should be. They might not be able to play but perhaps they can assist their team-mates in playing better.

“Just because they are out of the side, they are not forgotten.”