Paolo Di Canio finds solace at Swindon

There has never been a player in the Premier League quite like Paolo Di Canio. Volatile, spectacular, unpredictable – the list of adjectives could easily go on. Whether it was pushing referee Paul Alcock to the floor, catching the ball in the ultimate act of sportsmanship when Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard was down injured or scoring one of the best goals in Premier League history with a scissor kick against Wimbledon, Di Canio was a maverick of the English game; as mad as a box of frogs, some said. Mario Balotelli still has a lot to learn.

THAT Goal

No wonder, then, that many an eyebrow rose quizzically when Swindon Town chairman Jeremy Wray decided that Di Canio was the right man for the job at the County Ground following the Robins’ relegation from League One last season. They had finished bottom having lost half of their league fixtures; it was clear that a rebuilding job was required and it would not be easy. Di Canio could not have picked a more difficult first managerial role if he had tried but this is indicative of the type of character the 43 year-old is: he was never one to eschew a challenge during his career and had no intention of starting merely because he had hung up his boots.

Life at Swindon, though, didn’t get off to the best of starts for the fiery Italian: he lost five of his first seven games in charge including a 2-1 reversal at home to bitter rivals Oxford United. Soon afterwards, a confrontation with Leon Clarke, caught on camera by Sky Sports, handed Di Canio his first real test as a manager – it was one that he passed with flying colours, sending the striker out on loan to Chesterfield a mere three weeks after joining the Wiltshire club.

Despite the poor start Di Canio galvanised the squad, which seemed to gel at the start of October, losing only twice since – in the FA Cup last weekend at Leicester City and away to Torquay United on Boxing Day which ended their 15-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. The ‘Barcelona of League Two’ went from mid-table obscurity to promotion contenders and are only 90 minutes away from Wembley having progressed to the regional final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy against Barnet.

To take a club to Wembley at any stage of a managerial career is a fantastic feat, to do it in your first season is phenomenal. Yet, there would be a great sense of sadness for Di Canio if Swindon do get past Barnet because his father, Ignazio, would not be there to see his son lead the Robins out at Wembley. The poignant images of Di Canio in tears on the sideline at the end of Swindon’s 2-1 FA Cup victory over Wigan at the County Ground last month show how close he was to his father and it would be a great regret for the Italian that his father would not be able to see one of the proudest moments of his son’s career to date.

The death of Ignazio Di Canio brought Paolo closer to the club. At the end of a 1-0 win away at Plymouth Argyle, the first game after the funeral, the players took their manager over to the fans, who bombarded their new hero with cards and letters after hearing of Ignazio’s passing. He remains thankful to them and will always do so, “They gave me energy and heart to keep going. I will never forget [that].”

Already sporting a West Ham tattoo as a reminder of his time at the Boleyn Ground, the man in the County Ground hot-seat has said he may get a Swindon tattoo should they win the league, “Maybe [at the end of the season] I will extend the tattoos on my body and get a Swindon one if we win the league.”

Di Canio’s ego meant that he always held an individualistic attitude – it was him against the world. Now, though, it is Di Canio and his beloved Swindon against the world, coming back with two fingers up firmly towards those who had offered nothing but vituperative criticism towards both the man and the club: “They criticised straight away and I was laughing straight away because how can they judge Paolo Di Canio so soon?”

Judgement is certain in May, when Swindon Town’s season comes to a close. Di Canio will be hoping that he has to book himself in for another tattoo.

Are the wheels coming off the Crawley bandwagon?

If you were to ask football fans what they think of Crawley Town you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who has a positive word to say. Posing such a question on a social networking website makes one thing clear: it's cool to hate Crawley.

To the fans, players and staff, though, this isn't a problem. The mantra at the Broadfield Stadium is that you're either with Crawley or you're against them.

Winfield - Crawley saviour

Since the takeover of the Reds by the now deceased Bruce Winfield in 2010, the only way has been up. They steamrolled everyone in their path to winning the Blue Square Premier title with 105 points last season, 15 ahead of their nearest challengers, to put behind them a dark past riddled with financial difficulties and points deductions.

As recently as March 2006, the players and staff were made to take a 50% pay cut because of falling attendances and income.  The entire squad was put up for sale and the club went into administration after being deducted three points at the end of the season for going over the annual playing budget. Crawley Town almost folded with £1.8m debts.

Five months later, it was announced that the club would fold due to the debts. The club was less than an hour from liquidation but a late agreement allowed them to carry on playing but with a 10 point deduction for entering administration.

With the debt cleared in May 2007, they were deduced six points and a transfer embargo was put in place because of financial irregularities. Almost a year later, Prospect Estate Holdings Limited took control of Crawley after buying it from the SA Group. The club could look to begin the 2008-09 season with no financial problems.

But the club soon found themselves back in the High Court to face a winding-up order in February 2010 because of money owed to HMRC. The case was dismissed after the club managed to prove that the debts had been paid.

Winfield announced later in the year that he had become a majority shareholder of the club and had managed to bring in new investment for the club that saw promotion acquired within a season following a massive influx of players financed by the new-found riches.

Evans - Not a popular figure

However, it is not just the wealth at Crawley that sees them hated by a majority of neutrals. Their manager, Steve Evans, gives others plenty of reason to be spiteful.

Evans is best known for his infamous spells at Boston United which resulted in receiving a one‑year suspended sentence in 2006 for fraudulently disguising players' wages and bonuses as expenses. The rancour remains.

Whilst Crawley evidently have ambition, there is also an arrogance which has allowed for a great hostility to slowly build against the Sussex side. Given their predicament less than a decade ago, you could be forgiven for thinking that feet would be planted firmly into the ground. This, however, is not the case.

Through to the fifth round of the FA Cup again after a 1-0 win at Championship side Hull City and sat in League Two's promotion places, Crawley have a budget to make some Championship clubs envious whilst the rest of Leagues One and Two, with a few exceptions, look on through green eyes. They continue to dream big but recent success appears to have come at a cost.

Despite getting over £1m from a glamour tie at Old Trafford in last year's FA Cup and making a six-figure profit for the year, the club continues to push financial boundaries. A crippling wage bill that cannot be covered by gate receipts alone means that bids for the better players at the club will have to be taken seriously.

Tubbs - Irreplaceable?

The departure of 18 goal hitman Matt Tubbs, Crawley’s top-scorer who signed for £70,000, has already left for Bournemouth in an £800,000 deal after firing the Reds past Championship opposition in the last two rounds of the FA Cup – Bristol City and Hull City were put to the sword by the highly-coveted 27 year-old.

If Tubbs transfer leaves a significant space in the Crawley squad, the potential of losing two other star players must terrify Evans.

Fellow striker Tyrone Barnett, 26, almost joined Blackpool last week for £900,000 but was unable to agree personal terms whilst the stock of centre half Kyle McFadzean, 24, continues to grow by the week along with his list of admirers. Crawley have, so far, resisted offers but more bids are expected.

The promotion dream could well be in ruins. Although they currently cling onto the final promotion slot in League Two by a point; the barrier between Crawley and 8th place is 9 points. With 22 league games left, there is a chance that selling their best assets could see the Red Devils miss out. The neutrals watch on with baited breath, hoping for the wheels to fall off the Crawley bandwagon.