Der Feuhrer, Herr Di Canio

The appointment of Paolo Di Canio at Sunderland has this week had the nation, or maybe even the world, in constant chatter regarding the Italian's political views.

The media have dubbed Di Canio a racist and most have said that his appointment will severely damage the Premier League reputation.

But why only now he's signed for a top side, do people begin to compare Di Canio to Hitler? Why wasn't this as much of an issue when he was in charge of Swindon?

Signing a contract with a Premier League side is hardly the holocaust is it?

Either way, Di Canio has an almost impossible task in keeping the Black Cats in the league with Chelsea, Everton and Newcastle his first three games.

With top goalscorer Steven Fletcher and their leader-in-the-middle Lee Cattermole both sidelined until the end of the season, Di Canio's job is made even trickier.

This is a bold move by the Sunderland board, dismissing a notoriously successful manager in Martin O'Neill and replacing him with someone who will hopefully scare his team into results can sometimes work.

I feel this appointment is a short-term one. In appointing Di Canio they must only be thinking of survival, who knows what could happen next season. This is a short term plan and one I am excited to see unfold.

In my opinion, Sunderland need at least six points from their next three games. Should they fail to do so, they could find themselves a Championship side come August.