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O'Neill at Saturday's press conference. Brian Lawless/PA Wire/Press Association Images

O'Neill brands Sunderland successor Di Canio a 'charlatan'

The new Ireland manager isn’t happy about the criticism directed at him over the fitness of his last club team.

MARTIN O’NEILL HAS slammed Sunderland successor Paolo Di Canio, describing him as a “managerial charlatan”.

O’Neill, who was confirmed as the Republic of Ireland manager alongside assistant Roy Keane last Tuesday, was sacked by Sunderland in March after just under two years in charge and replaced with Di Canio.

The Italian kept the club in the Premier League, but left the club in September after failing to record a win in the first five Premier League games of the season.

Di Canio also criticised the fitness of the squad when he took over, something O’Neill took exception to, describing him as a “managerial charlatan” who “ran out of excuses”.

“It was like a 27-year-old manager stepping in and the first thing you do is criticise the fitness of the team,” he added.

“If you’ve ever seen (O’Neill’s former club) Aston Villa play, you’ll see the one thing I pride myself on is teams being fit.

“What’s interesting is that when he started, the team supposedly wasn’t fit for the Chelsea game. Then the following week when he won at Newcastle, not being fit wasn’t mentioned.

Then about two weeks later they got mauled by Aston Villa and someone asked him about the fitness. Suddenly, he didn’t know where to go, because the team, as it progresses, should be getting more fit.”

Under current manager Gus Poyet, Sunderland have won two of their last three Premier League games – including Sunday’s 1-0 success over Manchester City – while also progressing to the quarter-finals of the League Cup with victory over Southampton.

However, O’Neill is confident he could have turned fortunes around at the club if he had been given more time.

“They were my boyhood team so I’m very disappointed (at how his tenure ended). I’d have loved having the opportunity to sign 15 players like Paolo did. I never got that opportunity,” he added.

“With my managerial record, I think I would have garnered the five points necessary to have stayed up and (deserved) the chance, maybe, to have changed the side.

“They have taken 12 points from 51 since I left.”

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    Mute Sean O'Sullivan
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    Sep 29th 2012, 3:48 AM

    Ah now…..thats a bit hard on Rory! He cant help where hes born. We can be so smug here in our busted Republic. Try walking the fine line of catholic/protestant….nationalist/unionist……and not stumble at least once. Rory has handled himself with total dignity and he is fully entitled to feel more British than Irish if he wants! Bottom line? Hes the worlds number one golfer and Im proud to be from the same island as him! Rock on Rory!

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    Mute Liam Cullen
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    Sep 28th 2012, 1:04 PM

    great event…. be better viewing if on BBC. Sky coverage is a tad ott in my opinion.

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    Mute n365
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    Sep 28th 2012, 3:47 PM

    Could not agree more

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    Mute ManOnTheStreet
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    Sep 28th 2012, 5:08 PM

    Certainly OTT with the ad breaks!

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    Mute gudfella75
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    Sep 28th 2012, 10:11 PM

    Still my favourite comp in golf…but

    Too much hugging and patting each other on the back and talking sh1te. And that’s the Euro team, they’re worse than the US ever were. G Mc worst of the lot. Rant over.

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    Mute Jim Walsh
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    Sep 28th 2012, 1:10 PM

    I’ll keep in touch with this but I have to say that it seems to me that the build up to this year’s event has been very muted. Especially when you compare it to the kind of excitment that surrounded the event in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

    Perhaps its just that I haven’t been looking for it. Maybe it will build over the weekend assuming its a close match.

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    Mute paul mc
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    Sep 28th 2012, 5:37 PM

    No Podge — also it’s never quite as buzzed when it’s on the other side of the Atlantic. Nothing’s gonna compare to 2006 in terms of excitement.

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    Mute Disildoforus
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    Sep 29th 2012, 1:02 AM

    i am a golf lover, however, I am no longer excited about McIlroy, yes he is amazing, but I have become ambivalent after his nationality issue.

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Sep 29th 2012, 10:15 AM

    Your problem, not his.

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    Mute Brian
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    Sep 28th 2012, 9:31 PM

    I dunno if its cause harrington was left behind or what but i have to say i have no interest in it this year for the first time in twenty years

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    Mute Paddy Rodgers
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    Sep 29th 2012, 12:02 AM

    Watching the Americans cheer when the Europeans hit a bad shot tells us how I’ll mannered and unsportsmanlike they are as a people. It really removes any enjoyment from the Tournament. I have experienced similar behaviour in Chicago before but never at this level.

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    Mute Sean O'Sullivan
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    Sep 29th 2012, 4:14 AM

    Ok….cant sleep here!
    I would love if Rory played for team Irl in next Olympics…..but if he doesnt and goes with team GB then I will cheer him on, provided hes not playing against team Irl. Just like I cheered for Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis…..and Usain Bolt! But most enduring and enjoyable memory…..our Katie!

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    Mute Peter Murray
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    Sep 28th 2012, 9:25 PM

    European championships and Olympics took away from build up of ryder cup I think. Great event tho, and great coverage on journal.ie, well done guys…

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    Mute Marilyn Maroney
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    Sep 28th 2012, 10:57 PM

    Go U S of A

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    Mute Brian Bass
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    Sep 28th 2012, 1:14 PM

    Yeeeeeow!

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    Mute Barry Ryan
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    Sep 29th 2012, 7:57 AM

    Rory already picked GB for the Olympics at Rio. Tiger back to himself after good start to The Ryder Cup. still shouting for Europe though. Day 2 is going to be better.

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    Mute limofax
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    Sep 29th 2012, 10:47 AM

    Don’t know what golf you were watching yesterday but Tiger was brutal, barely hit a fairway, won no points and was easily the worst player on team USA. His team are two points up despite him.

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    Mute Gus Lynch
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    Sep 29th 2012, 12:06 PM

    @limofax seven birdies in the afternoon fourball – hardly dire? His team simply ran into the ‘freight train’ that was Colsaerts (sp?) yesterday. What made Colsaerts’ performance (8 birds & 1 eagle I think) was that he did it all whilst carrying Westwood around the course – his back must be broke this morning!

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    Mute limofax
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    Sep 29th 2012, 1:39 PM

    And dropped this morning. Regardless of his birdies yesterday afternoon he still the standout failure for the Yankidy planks.

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