Paolo Di Canio criticised for his 'strange' man-management
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Titus Bramble has taken a stinging potshot at Paolo Di Canio following their Sunderland divorce, labeling his former manager as a "strange person".
Di Canio arrived at the Stadium of Light on a rescue mission in April and, despite achieving his goal of Premier League survival, ruffled plenty of feathers with his outspoken approach.
He said that some of his players were "ignorant and arrogant" and admitted he had been handing out fines to a lot of his squad for breaches of his disciplinary code.
While some on the outside may enjoy Di Canio's antics, Bramble believes the Italian's confrontational man-management style has upset several players.
Bramble, whose contract with the Black Cats expires this month, told The Daily Telegraph: "I've never played under anyone like him and I've played for some of the best managers around. Steve Bruce, Roberto Martínez, and Sir Bobby Robson. He thinks he knows everything, but he has got a lot to learn.
"He's got a long, long way to go before he gets anywhere near as good as Sir Bobby Robson. He's a young manager trying to stamp his mark on things, but he's making some big mistakes.
"He's targeted the easy players, the ones who are leaving anyway, trying to show he's the boss. I was fined for not going to a weights session. Everyone else at the club thought it was ridiculous, but he's trying to be tough.
"The fines he has tried to dish out are way too harsh. I've been told by the PFA he did exactly the same thing at Swindon and they fought him then too. He was fine at first, but he's a strange person.
"We all remember what he did as a player, shoving a referee over. He was no angel and players know that. Then he comes in and starts trying to make out he's an angel and does everything perfectly.
"There are a lot of strong characters in that Sunderland dressing room and he is upsetting them. It isn't just those who are leaving."
Lamenting his approach with a number of first team players, Bramble focused his ire towards comments Di Canio recently made regarding young striker Connor Wickham.
Claiming he was ready to "slap his face" to get Wickham firing, Di Canio also told the former Ipswich Town ace to stop acting like a "Playboy model".
Bramble added: "He comes out in the media and hammers players and he hasn't said a word to them.
"Imagine how Connor Wickham felt when he was told by his family what the manager had said about him in the press. He's never said anything like that to his face. He's 19 and the manager is battering him in the media.
"Fine, say that behind closed doors, keep it in house. Managers have a go at players all the time, but in the dressing room or in their office. You don't see the top managers behaving like he does.
"He seems to be more worried about his image outside of the club, sounding good in the media, than anything else. It's a dangerous game to play."
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| Paolo Di Canio is more concerned with his image than his players, according to Titus Bramble Photo: Getty Images |
Di Canio arrived at the Stadium of Light on a rescue mission in April and, despite achieving his goal of Premier League survival, ruffled plenty of feathers with his outspoken approach.
He said that some of his players were "ignorant and arrogant" and admitted he had been handing out fines to a lot of his squad for breaches of his disciplinary code.
While some on the outside may enjoy Di Canio's antics, Bramble believes the Italian's confrontational man-management style has upset several players.
Bramble, whose contract with the Black Cats expires this month, told The Daily Telegraph: "I've never played under anyone like him and I've played for some of the best managers around. Steve Bruce, Roberto Martínez, and Sir Bobby Robson. He thinks he knows everything, but he has got a lot to learn.
"He's got a long, long way to go before he gets anywhere near as good as Sir Bobby Robson. He's a young manager trying to stamp his mark on things, but he's making some big mistakes.
"He's targeted the easy players, the ones who are leaving anyway, trying to show he's the boss. I was fined for not going to a weights session. Everyone else at the club thought it was ridiculous, but he's trying to be tough.
"The fines he has tried to dish out are way too harsh. I've been told by the PFA he did exactly the same thing at Swindon and they fought him then too. He was fine at first, but he's a strange person.
"We all remember what he did as a player, shoving a referee over. He was no angel and players know that. Then he comes in and starts trying to make out he's an angel and does everything perfectly.
"There are a lot of strong characters in that Sunderland dressing room and he is upsetting them. It isn't just those who are leaving."
Lamenting his approach with a number of first team players, Bramble focused his ire towards comments Di Canio recently made regarding young striker Connor Wickham.
Claiming he was ready to "slap his face" to get Wickham firing, Di Canio also told the former Ipswich Town ace to stop acting like a "Playboy model".
Bramble added: "He comes out in the media and hammers players and he hasn't said a word to them.
"Imagine how Connor Wickham felt when he was told by his family what the manager had said about him in the press. He's never said anything like that to his face. He's 19 and the manager is battering him in the media.
"Fine, say that behind closed doors, keep it in house. Managers have a go at players all the time, but in the dressing room or in their office. You don't see the top managers behaving like he does.
"He seems to be more worried about his image outside of the club, sounding good in the media, than anything else. It's a dangerous game to play."
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