SUNDERLAND DEFENDER TITUS Bramble has hit out at manager Paolo Di Canio’s management style, claiming that the Italian is “strange”.
Di Canio steered the club to safety from relegation, after replacing Martin O’Neill towards the end of the season.
However, his reign has not been short of controversy thus far, with both his political views and strict training routines attracting criticism from some quarters.
And Bramble has done little to play down these views, telling the Daily Telegraph:
“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.”
He also suggested Di Canio was upsetting the “strong characters” in the Sunderland dressing room, though dismissed suggestions that he’s racist.
The player, who is expected to leave Sunderland during the summer as his contract is on the verge of expiring, 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 [being too worried about how he looks] 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.”
