Looks like a player revolt had something to do with it, unsurprisingly.
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anon2013-09-22 17:42
So you let him rebuild the whole squad, train them all summer under his new system but then sack him after five games, unreal.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:43
This is going to upset so many people, they were so hoping it would David Moyes to be sacked first this season.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:44
>>483
To put into some perspective, Sunderland are only six points behind united!
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:44
it seems the players really hated him.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:45
A Sunderland AFC player on Twitter has just tweeted LOL so looks like he may have lost the dressing room.
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Breaking News2013-09-22 17:49
He'll still go down in Sunderland history for winning 3-0 at Wonga Park last season.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:51
>>486 Was it Phill Beardsley who tweeted? total asshole him mate!
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:54
>>488 Was a u21 player Paolo DiCanio signed El Hadji Ba. but he claiming it wasn't anything to do with the sacking.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:55
Trouble is that the next 6 home games are Liverpool, Man Utd, Newcastle, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs.so it's hard to see where the next 3 points are coming from.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:56
Sorry but the players have to take responsibility.
Instances that spring to mind are O'shea getting sent off and giving away a Penalty which cost his side the game.
Same game Ji ducked away from a header in a goal scoring chance.
Phil bardsley flaunting wealth with pictures of him lying in a pile of £50 notes, also tweeting this after sunderland lost their opening game. "Great opening day. Hahahhahaha hahahhaha!!!"
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:57
O'Shea made a mistake against Crystal Palace to get sent off, no doubt about that.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:58
Hardly surprising really
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Anonymous2013-09-22 17:59
Di Matteo being mentioned as being the front runner for the job on BBC Newcastle local radio station at the moment.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 18:00
He clearly underestimated player power in modern-day football.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 18:02
Is Alan Curbishley in the running? He always seems to be on lists like these!
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Anonymous2013-09-22 18:03
>>496 The most frightening name I've heard mentioned is Tony Pullis. He'd do a job - but it wouldn't be pretty.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 18:03
>>497 Di Mateo is the best realistic option I've heard so far.
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Anonymous2013-09-22 18:04
Why is that managers invariably get sacked after losing to the Baggies. That's 5 now, Watch out Moyes.
A look back at the career of Paolo Di Canio, who has lost his job as head coach at Sunderland.
Paolo Di Canio has been sacked by Sunderland, with Saturday's 3-0 Premier League defeat at West Brom proving to be his last in charge. Here, Sky Sports reflects on his often controversial career to date...
1968: Born July 9 in Rome.
1985: Joins home-town club Lazio, then in Serie B, but does not break into first team.
1986: Drops down a division to Ternana, playing 27 matches and scoring two goals in 1986-87.
1987: Returns to Lazio but again fails to make a first-team appearance as they win promotion to Serie A.
1988: Makes his Serie A debut for Lazio in October and plays 30 times that season, scoring one goal.
1989: Plays 24 matches, scoring three goals.
1990: Moves to Juventus and scores three times in 23 appearances.
1991: Plays 55 games over the next two seasons, hitting three goals.
1993: Heads south to Napoli, making 26 appearances and scoring five goals.
1994: Returns to Juventus but moves on to AC Milan without playing a league game.
1994: Restricted to just four starts at Milan. Makes another 11 appearances from the bench and scores one goal against Fiorentina in January.
Di Canio: Turbulent time in charge
1996: Leaves the San Siro in June to join Celtic in a £1million deal.
1996: Becomes a firm favourite with Celtic fans, scoring 12 goals in 26 league games as the club finish runners-up to Rangers in title race. In total scores 15 times in 37 matches.
July 9 - Breaches his contract by refusing to join his Celtic team-mates at their Dutch training camp and Celtic threaten him with a three-year ban.
July 15 - Announces his intention to quit Celtic after new coach Wim Jansen says he is unimpressed with the player's attitude in training.
August 6 - Joins Sheffield Wednesday in a £4.5million deal. Scores 12 times in Premiership to finish the club's top scorer.
September 26 - Pushes referee Paul Alcock to the ground after being sent off in the clash with Arsenal at Hillsborough.
October 23 - Receives 11-match ban from the Football Association, including a statutory three matches for being sent off in the previous month's game against Arsenal. He is also fined £10,000.
November 3 - Wednesday reveal they have imposed their own fine on Di Canio for his dismissal and push on Alcock, believed to be two lots of two weeks' wages, totalling £68,000.
December 12 - Wednesday suspend Di Canio for two weeks without pay when he does not return from a break in Italy. Later says he is suffering from stress and depression.
December 26 - Is suspended for a further two weeks and docked another two weeks' wages by Wednesday when he fails to appear for home game against Leicester.
1999: January 9 - Is suspended and fined another two weeks' wages by Wednesday.
January 19 - Declared fit after Wednesday receive report into his health. But Wednesday refuse to pay Di Canio the £102,000 he was fined while he was in Italy claiming he was ill.
Paulo Di Canio has been sacked as Sunderland manager after less than six months in charge of the club.
January 27 - Joins West Ham for £1.7million.
February 9 - Charged with misconduct by FA in relation to incident during Premiership game with Villa when he appeared to make an insulting gesture. Later fined by the FA.
2001: November 29 - Awarded FIFA's Fair Play Award for 2001 in recognition of his "special act of good sportsmanship" in West Ham's game at Everton the previous season.
2002: January 6 - West Ham boss Glenn Roeder confirms Manchester United made a bid for the player which the club rejected.
2003: August 11 - Signs a one-year deal with Charlton as a free agent.
2004: Returns to former club Lazio, but his relationship with the club's Ultras generates negative headlines.
2006: Sees out his playing career with Cisco Roma, retiring in 2008.
2011: May - Appointed Swindon manager.
2012: April - Swindon are promoted from League Two with 93 points, having lost the Football League Trophy final against Chesterfield.
2013: February 18 - Resigns as manager citing issues with the club's hierarchy.
February 21 - Reportedly returned to the County Ground in the dead of night to remove photographs from his fruitful spell at the club.
Di Canio: Appointed by Sunderland on March 31
March 31 - Named as Sunderland's new head coach on a two-and-half-year deal.
He spends his first weeks in charge playing down his fascist beliefs following political statements he had made during his time in Italy.
April 7 - Loses his first game in charge of the Black Cats - a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea.
April 14 - Leads Sunderland to a 3-0 victory over local rivals Newcastle at St James' Park in his second Premier League game as manager.
May 14 - Sunderland secure their Premier League status when Wigan are relegated following defeat at Arsenal. Di Canio will claim eight points from his eight games in charge by the end of the season.
July - Signs players including Jozy Altidore, Emanuele Giaccherini and Fabio Borini in a extensive squad overhaul at the Stadium of Light.
September 21 - Sunderland lose the fourth of five opening Premier League games, going down 3-0 at West Brom, and when Di Canio attempts to commiserate with visiting fans at the final whistle, he receives abuse from the stands.
September 22 - Sunderland confirm they have parted company with Di Canio.
Paolo Di Canio sacked as Sunderland manager after six months in charge.
• 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion was final straw
• Sunderland at bottom of Premier League table
Paolo Di Canio was sacked by Sunderland on Sunday night after his much vaunted "revolution" yielded only one point from the season's opening five fixtures. His time in charge lasted less than six months.
In a brief statement the club said: "Sunderland AFC confirms that it has parted company with head coach Paolo Di Canio this evening. Kevin Ball will take charge of the squad ahead of Tuesday night's Capital One Cup game against Peterborough United and an announcement will be made in due course regarding a permanent successor. The club would like to place on record its thanks to Paolo and his staff and wishes them well for the future."
Ball, the youth team coach, and an abrasive former Sunderland midfielder of the type Di Canio sadly lacked, is not likely to be in post for long. Ellis Short, Sunderland's American owner, is expected to move swiftly with Robert Di Matteo, the former Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion manager, and Gus Poyet, until recently in charge of Brighton, among the favourites. Roberto Mancini, out of work after leaving Manchester City, has previously expressed interest in the job but would probably be beyond Sunderland's budget. Meanwhile Steve McClaren, currently helping Harry Redknapp coach QPR, is probably an outsider.
Di Canio can count himself unlucky after trying to incorporate 14 summer signings made by Roberto De Fanti, the club's director of football, into his squad. Of those recruits 13 were foreign and only five had previous Premier League experience. Their failure to communicate properly forfeited a series of goals – and points – at set pieces, with the former Swindon manager and former West Ham and Lazio striker's willingness to highlight players' errors in public drawing widespread criticism.
Di Canio was adamant that, given time, his bold attacking gameplans – 4-2-4 was the favoured formation – would pay dividends while his strict new disciplinary regime would transform Sunderland's fortunes.
Short, though, disagreed, with Saturday's 3-0 defeat at West Brom – which saw Sunderland's leading scorer Steven Fletcher suffer a dislocated shoulder – proving the last straw.
How Di Canio must rue his board's failure to bow to repeated requests to sign Tom Huddlestone from Tottenham last month. Instead the powerful midfield playmaker joined Hull, who are reaping the benefits. The Italian's successor faces a considerable challenge as he endeavours to repair the squad's shattered morale and steer Sunderland clear of what appears an inevitable relegation battle.
Roberto Di Matteo 5/6
Gus Poyet 5/2
Alex McLeish 8/1
Kevin Ball 10/1
Tony Pulis 12/1
Steve McClaren 14/1
Mick McCarthy 40/1
Neil Warnock 40/1
Niall Quinn 40/1
Stuart Pearce 40/1
Martin O'Neill 40/1
Henning Berg 50/1
Owen Coyle 50/1
Martin Jol 50/1
Jurgen Klinsmann 50/1
Eddie Howe 50/1
Alan Curbishley 50/1
Malky Mackay 50/1
Peter Reid 50/1 Ian Holloway 50/1
Michael Appleton 50/1
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 50/1
Ralf Ragnick 66/1
Roy Keane 66/1
Bruce Arena 66/1
Bob Bradley 66/1
Nigel Clough 66/1
Next Premier League Manager to Leave: Alan Pardew 4/1
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Anonymous2013-09-22 18:20
SUNDERLAND want an english manager that knows well premier league = Tony Pulis...
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Anonymous2013-09-22 18:24
Lost the dressing room though didn't he, was always going to end in tears.
His old skool style management was never going to work with modern players TBH especially at the top level
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Anonymous2013-09-22 18:25
Alex Mcleish said he's ready to get back into management the other day
SUNDERLAND STATEMENT ON THE SACKING OF THE ITALIAN
‘Sunderland AFC confirms that it has parted company with Head Coach Paolo Di Canio this evening. Kevin Ball will take charge of the squad ahead of Tuesday night’s Capital One Cup game against Peterborough United and an announcement will be made in due course regarding a permanent successor. The club would like to place on record its thanks to Paolo and his staff and wishes them well for the future.’
2012-13 April 7 - Chelsea 2 Sunderland 1 (L)
Apr 14 - Newcastle 0 Sunderland 3 (W)
Apr 20 - Sunderland 1 Everton 0 (W)
Apr 29 - Aston Villa 6 Sunderland 1 (L)
May 6 - Sunderland 1 Stoke 1 (D)
May 12 - Sunderland 1 Southampton 1 (D)
May 19 - Tottenham 1 Sunderland 0 (L)
2013-14 August 17 - Sunderland 0 Fulham 1 (L)
Aug 24 - Southampton 1 Sunderland 1 (D)
Aug 27 - Sunderland 4 MK Dons 2 [Capital One Cup] (W)
Aug 31 - Crystal Palace 3 Sunderland 1 (L)
September 14 - Sunderland 1 Arsenal 3 (L)
Sep 21 - West Brom 3 Sunderland 0 (L)
SUNDERLAND'S TRANSFER CAROUSEL SINCE PAOLO DI CANIO ARRIVED
INS: Modibo Diakite (Lazio, free), Duncan Watmore (Altrincham, undisclosed), Valentin Roberge (Maritimo, free), Cabral (Basle, free), David Moberg Karlsson (IFK Gothenburg, free), Vito Mannone (Arsenal, £2m), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar, £6m), El Hadji Ba (Le Havre, undisclosed), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus, £8.6m), Ondrej Celustka (Trabzonspor, season-long loan), Charis Mavrias (Panathinaikos, £2.5m), Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea, season-long loan), Fabio Borini (Liverpool, season-long loan), Andrea Dossena (Napoli, season-long loan).
OUTS: Ahmed Elmohamady (Hull, £2m), James McClean (Wigan, £2m), Titus Bramble (released), Matthew Kilgallon (Blackburn, free), Ryan Noble (Burnley, free), Alfred N'Diaye (Eskisehirspor, season-long loan), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool, £9m) Danny Graham (Hull, season-long loan), Billy Knott (Wycombe, one-month loan), Stephane Sessegnon (West Brom, £6m).
DI CANIO'S FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE IN CHARGE AT THE STADIUM OF LIGHT
Not for the first time, Paolo Di Canio left supporters open-mouthed at the Hawthorns on Saturday. After the 3-0 loss to West Brom, he marched up to the 2,500 visiting Sunderland fans and attempted to communicate with them.
He shrugged his shoulders, opened his arms then finally walked away as he received a mixed reaction. Later, Di Canio tried to explain his actions. It was to be his final press conference as Sunderland’s manager:
What were you trying to say to the fans?
Pick me. Blame me. Leave the players out. I have no worries about that because they (supporters) are right. They are absolutely right. If I was in their position, I would be more furious than them.
Some of them did blame you — do you understand that?
Absolutely. I did much worse when I was a fan. I can’t tell you what I did, otherwise I will be arrested. But I hope that one day those people will celebrate with a smile. They pay, they suffer, make sacrifices. One day I will leave, the players will leave, but they will remain.
Can you turn this round?
I believe in what I’m doing. I do this because I believe in my regime. My regime is for top, top professionals.
Discipline, practice. We completely dominated the game. The first ball in our box, our opponents scored. Then we lost our belief and finished playing football.
One win could turn this round.
Do you fear for your position?
You have to ask the chairman, Ellis Short and the board. It’s normal to think about what’s going on. If we keep going lose, lose, lose, it will be a natural consequence, not only for Paolo Di Canio... but what’s the result in the end?
How do you know the players still have faith in you?
I believe they are following me. I want them to share responsibility. Don’t turn your face to the other side. It’s better to have a confrontation. Look in each other’s eyes.
Fake Di Canio? It doesn’t work.
Would you ever walk away?
What? Never. I always believe that I am the best manager in the world. Those 24 players have to adapt to me. It doesn’t work the other way round.
The fiery Italian called his stars in for a crisis meeting at the club’s Cleadon training ground on Sunday following their disappointing 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
But the summit quickly turned sour after Di Canio pointed the finger at a number of his players, blaming them for their poor start to the season.
A clutch of players, are understood to have responded angrily at Di Canio’s dressing down, telling the Italian in no uncertain terms what they thought of him.
It is believed certain players told the manager, who signed 14 players during the summer transfer window, they did not like him and did not want to play for him.
Di Canio is then said to have told his disgruntled players to tell the club’s hierarchy to sack him if they no longer wanted him in charge.
details of the stand-off were quickly relayed back to Ellis Short, who has taken the decision to axe the manager after just six months in charge.
Short immediately informed director of football Roberto Di Fanti of his decision.
A players’ meeting has been called for this morning, where the squad will be informed of the decision to let him go.
Di Canio will also return to the club’s HQ for the final time Monday to pick up his belongings.
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Anonymous2013-09-23 8:56
The one thing di Canio got right was his Sunderland side beating Newcastle 3-0 at Sid James park. The jawdeez couldn't handle it and rioted in the streets. They even punched an innocent police horse. That will live forever.
He took first team training this morning and is in charge for Sunderland again tomorrow and facing a testing League Cup tie.
But caretaker manager Kevin Ball will still stick to the day job tonight and take charge of the club’s Under 21s for a local derby.
Sunderland reserves face Middlesbrough at Eppleton Colliery Welfare tonight (7pm) and a decent crowd is now expected to see Ball take charge of the side, as previously arranged.
Under Paolo Di Canio, former Sunderland captain Ball was promoted to the Under 21 Development coaching role and they have won four out of five so far, losing at 5-2 to Liverpool last week.
Among the squad expected to feature tonight are summer signings Cabral and David Moberg Karlsson.
Ball, who also took charge of Sunderland when Howard Wilkinson was sacked, will then pick the side to face Peterborough tomorrow for the Capital One Cup tie.
Expect a certain tough-tackling former midfielder to return to the starting line-up.
Paolo Di Canio's dismissal as Sunderland manager brings to a close one of the most colourful chapters in both the history of the club and the Premier League.
But the fiery Italian is by no means the first boss to bring madness to a football club.
Sportsmail has picked nine other crazy, crazy reigns from the English game, the perfect examples of how not to be a football manager.
Roberto Di Matteo and Gus Poyet may be the shortest odds to succeed Paolo Di Canio at Sunderland, but don’t rule out a shock move for Paul Ince.
The former England captain is desperate to prove himself in the Barclays Premier League again and has done his chances no harm by turning round Blackpool’s fortunes and defying all the forecasts of a grim relegation struggle this season.
Ince could barely raise a team at the start of Blackpool’s pre-season programme, but was finally able to strengthen his squad and has now moulded them into unlikely promotion contenders.
Budget restrictions continue to hamper his plans, though, and he would jump at the chance of revitalising Sunderland, should they make an approach.
In Swindon for Mark Cooper's press conference ahead of Chelsea's visit in the League Cup tomorrow night.
It wasn't long ago that Paolo Di Canio occupied the dugout here and his presence is still being felt after his sacking at Sunderland. The club have been inundated with calls about their former manager all morning.
They had to change the locks here at the County Ground earlier in the year after Di Canio stole into the stadium at midnight to take mementos from his office a couple of days after his resignation.
Will Ellis Short be mindful enough to tell the Italian to drop off any keys he has to the Stadium of Light when he makes his final goodbyes?
Former Sunderland manager Steve Bruce believes Paolo Di Canio paid the price for an outdated management style after being ousted by the Black Cats on Sunday night.
Di Canio's controversial reign proved a brief one as he parted company with the club after only 13 matches, his exit coming little more than 24 hours after a 3-0 defeat at West Brom left them rooted to the bottom of the table with one point from five games.
It is believed the Italian's strict regime, unpopular with his players, was key to his departure.
When Paolo Di Canio emerged from the team bus at the Stadium of Light a fortnight ago to face Arsenal, he was all smiles, waves to the fans and handshakes for the staff standing to attention in their SAFC blazers.
His players quickly followed, dragging their suitcases and carrying their washbags. And all of them looking at the floor.
There was something strange in their demeanour that day. But their behaviour sums up the madness of the Di Canio reign.
The most important question might be what next for Sunderland, but perhaps the most intriguing is what next for Paolo Di Canio?
It was rather fitting that his crash-bang-wallop-explosion time at the Stadium of Light ended with a furious training ground row.
This will be a day to recall the mad moments - the fascism row, the instructions to canteen staff not to talk to players, the rants. The ketchup. It was all so weird.
Paolo Di Canio's tumultuous reign as Sunderland manager came to an end after his players turned on him during a furious training ground bust-up.
The fiery Italian called his stars in for a crisis meeting at the club’s Cleadon training ground on Sunday following their disappointing 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
But the summit quickly turned sour after Di Canio pointed the finger at a number of his players, blaming them for their poor start to the season.
Sam Allardyce believes it is a crazy decision for Sunderland to sack Paolo Di Canio just a month into season and feels it will be even more difficult for the man who replaces him.
The north east club are currently bottom of the Premier League and have taken just one point from their opening five games.
Di Canio has won just three of his 13 matches since being appointed back in March and Sunderland are now looking for their sixth permanent manager in the last five-years.
Kevin Ball has challenged the under-21 side to “get back on the bike” in tonight’s Wear-Tees derby at Eppleton CW.
Sunderland take on Middlesbrough (KO 7pm) looking to go to the top of the Barclays U21 Premier League.
The development squad won their first four games of the season before suffering a first reverse of the campaign at Liverpool last week, losing 5-2 at Anfield.
But overall Ballhas been delighted with the progress made and is looking for a response tonight.
“Up until now they’ve been smashing,” said Ball, who will be in the dugout as usual tonight in the wake of becoming interim head coach after the club parted ways with Paolo Di Canio on Sunday.
“There’s a been a lot of hard work and endeavour – not just in terms of running, but across every aspect of their game.
“I told them ‘yes, you fell off your bike a little bit against Liverpool and cut your knee, but now you have to get back on and start riding like crazy again’.
“We had a little session on Saturday and it didn’t quite fit with how I like to see them; we had a chat about it and they were great the next day.
“I’d like to think that’ll happen again tonight. I’m looking forward to watching them play.”
The development squad have produced some impressive football so far this season and have scored 12 goals in their five league outings.
And Ball hopes that the defeat at Anfield will have prompted some post-match questions amongst the players as they look to get back to winning ways.
“In the main we played well – we took the game to Liverpool and fair play to the players for that,” he said.
“But you can’t get away from the fact that we still lost. At this level the emphasis is not always on winning and losing – it’s about development – but you have to understand there should still be a degree of winning.
“When you come away from a game and you’ve lost, you should come away thinking ‘what could I have done to help us win the game?’”
Paolo Di Canio sacked as Sunderland manager after massive player rebellion undermined his authority.
Paolo Di Canio was sacked as Sunderland manager after a massive player rebellion which led to several squad members indicating they would refuse to play for him again.
Telegraph Sport has been given details of Di Canio's dramatic demise, after the Italian completely lost the support of his first team squad after constantly criticising them.
Di Canio has allegedly belittled his players regularly using insulting language, and questioned their professionalism and lifestyles.
That prompted a delegation of senior players to visit chief executive Margaret Byrne and director of football Roberto De Fanti on Sunday.
At a meeting they forcefully relayed their concerns about Di Canio’s management style, accused him of behaving like a dictator and revealed he had lost the dressing room to such an extent that certain individuals were so upset they were going to refuse to play for him again.
At the end of the meeting, the players were reassured their grievances were reasonable and their concerns understood. They were then told Di Canio was going to be removed from power, as he had also lost the support of the board following a run of just two wins from his 12 league games in charge.
The final incendiary catalyst for Di Canio’s sacking came on Saturday night when who was involved in a furious row with his players in the aftermath of their 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion.
Having incensed many supporters with his chin-up gesture after the final whistle at The Hawthorns, Di Canio marched into the away dressing room and launched in to an all-too-regular verbal attack on his players.
The stunned players were subject to an explosion of rage from Di Canio as he began an assault on former club captain Lee Cattermole, blaming him for West Brom’s third goal.
Cattermole, who had come on as a substitute midway through the second half, asked why he was being picked out for blame for the defeat and was quickly backed by team-mates.
What followed has been described by one witness as “all hell breaking loose” as several players went nose to nose with Di Canio and refused to back down when he challenged them.
Significantly, this did not just include players Di Canio had inherited like Cattermole and Carlos Cuellar, but also several he had brought to the club over the summer.
Interestingly, one of the players who felt the most aggrieved about the way he had been treated was Italian international winger Emanuele Giaccherini, who had been hauled off at half-time against WBA. The former Juventus winger was one of Sunderland’s star signings, but felt he had no support or received any sort of encouragement from Di Canio.
The row was brought to a tense conclusion when one player commented: “All you have done since you got here is criticise us and the old manager [Martin O’Neill]. The difference is we liked him and would run through walls for him. Nobody likes you here. Nobody wants you here.”
As well as alienating his players, Telegraph Sport understands Di Canio was also feared by staff members at the training ground after a series of arguments and dressing downs.
He had recently banned any staff member other than coaches talking to the players and ordered everyone out of the canteen when the first team squad were in there at meal time.
FULL TIME: SUNDERLAND U21 3 vs 2 MIDDLESBROUGH U21
CompetitionU21 Premier LeagueDate23 September 2013Game week6Kick-off 19:00
Half-time 2 - 2
VenueEppleton Colliery Football Ground (Hetton-le-Hole, Tyne and Wear)
Development squad in derby win
Youngsters go top after 3-2 victory over Middlesbrough.
Sunderland U21 3 Middlesbrough U21 2
Liam Agnew scored twice for Sunderland’s development squad as the young Black Cats returned to the top of the Barclays U21 Premier League with a 3-2 win over Middlesbrough at Eppleton CW.
Luke Williams had given Boro an early lead before Mikael Mandron levelled from the spot for the hosts.
Agnew’s spectacular 25-yard drive gave the home side the lead before Williams’ second, on the stroke of half time, levelled the scores.
Former Sunderland youngster Jonathan Burn was dismissed for the visitors for a late tackle on Mandron before Agnew struck the winner 15 minutes from time.
Kevin Ball made two changes to the side that lost at Liverpool last Monday with Agnew and Adam Mitchell replacing Cabral and David Moberg Karlsson.
Boro took the lead after just three minutes as Williams found space 25 yards from goal and drove the ball beyond Joel Dixon.
George Honeyman went close to levelling for the hosts but he fired Mitchell’s cut-back straight at Jayson Leutwiler in the Boro goal.
Mandron was the next Sunderland player to go close but he couldn’t get enough power behind Duncan Watmore’s cross to test Leutwiler.
Boro had a goal disallowed after 20 minutes as Andy Haliday fed Jordan Jones, with the latter offside when the ball was played.
Scott Harrison then headed David Ferguson’s free-kick straight at Leutwiler after Mitchell was brought down by former Black Cat Burn.
Sunderland’s best chance of the first half fell to Watmore, who found space in behind after good interplay with Honeyman, but the former Altrincham man saw his snapshot saved by Leutwiler.
Mandron levelled for Sunderland from the spot eight minutes before the break as Adam Jackson handled Mitchell’s cross.
Williams almost replied immediately for the visitors but he lost his balance and couldn’t get his shot on target from just inside the box.
Burn was sent off for Boro just before half time for a late tackle on Mandron on the edge of the area.
Agnew scored a superb goal on the stroke of half time to give the home side the advantage; the central midfielder driving a stunning strike into Leutwiler’s top corner from 25 yards.
The visitors levelled in the final minute of the half as Liam Marrs was penalised for handball and Williams stepped up to bag his second of the game.
However, Agnew grabbed his second of the evening 15 minutes from time as he followed up a goalmouth scramble to neatly volley home from the edge of the area with his left foot.
Fewster headed Andre Bennett’s cross wide as Boro searched for a reply before Mitchell nearly added a fourth for the hosts with a 20-yard drive which Leutwiler saved impressively.
Substitute Carl Lawson was denied his first goal of the season by another fine Leutwiler save as the young Black Cats exerted their dominance in the final stages.
Good play by Mandron opened up the chance for Watmore to add a fourth in the final few minutes but the winger stabbed a left-footed shot wide.
Mandron himself showed pace and power to beat Kieran Weledji to a through ball but the 18-year-old striker was denied by Leutwiler’s smart low save.
LUKE Williams scored twice, but Boro had a man sent-off which made life difficult as they slipped to defeat. GORDON COX reports from Eppleton CW.
Early Boro pressure turned into a goal with just three minutes played as Luke Williams drilled a stunning low shot into Joel Dixon's bottom right-hand corner from close on 30 yards.
A warm, still night was perfect for an open game and that's what was served up as Adam Mitchell crossed from deep out on the right, that was cleared and Jayson Leutwiler saved the follow-up.
Andy Halliday curled over before the impressive Duncan Whatmore had a shot saved.
Alejandro Gorrin saw a shot blocked as Sunderland, managed by Kevin Ball who is in charge of the first team tomorrow night, continued to try and force an equaliser.
If what had gone before had been open and entertaining, it was nothing compared to the last nine minutes of the half in which were sandwiched three goals, two penalties and a sending-off.
With 36 minutes played Mitchell crossed from the right, Adam Jackson appeared to control with a hand a penalty was given - Mikael Mandron sending Leutwiler the wrong way with a low and powerful shot the goalkeeper's left.
A well-worked move saw Jordan Jones and Williams combine to set up the latter, but he was off balance when shooting off target,
Jones was to become the sacrifice as Jamie Clapham was forced into a change following the 39th minute dismissal of former Sunderland Academy player Jonathan Burn.
He had been lucky to escape a yellow card a few minutes earlier, but when Jackson underhit a pass to him across the penalty area he was committed to the challenge. Mandron got there ahead of him and was unceremoniously tipped up a few yards from the edge of the box.
The home side capitalised three minutes later when Liam Agnew unleashed a terrific shot from 20 yards which dipped over Leutwiler.
On the stroke of half-time Boro drew level when a deep cross from the right from Andre Bennett was handled by right-back Liam Marrs and Luke Williams confidently despatched the penalty, sending Joel Dixon the wrong way.
Half-time: Sunderland 2 Middlesbrough 2
A man advantage allowed Sunderland to dominate possession in the early exchanges of the second half.
They found it hard to find a way through as Boro were organised behind the ball, but as a consequence they too made little impact in the opposition penalty area.
Haroun's return to action lasted 64 minutes before he limped off after appearing to take a blow to his right foot. Boro's final change followed eight minutes later when Halliday made way.
Eventually Sunderland made their numerical superiority count with 75 minutes played as the ball spun around close to the edge of the Boro penalty area and although not making perfect contact, Liam Agnew did enough to grab his second of the night and edge his team into the lead as he shot low from 16 yards.
Mitchell brought a flying save from Leutwiler with a cracking effort from outside the area, Gorrin saw a 25-yard effort blocked and Whatmore shot wide, then in the final minute Mandron brought a one-handed save from Leutwiler after running just of half the length of the pitch.
Boro remained competitive with Smallwood in the thick of things and not always getting the benefit of decisions.
A place in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup is up for grabs tonight as Sunderland take on League One side Peterborough at the Stadium of Light.
Interim head coach Kevin Ball will take charge of the team tonight after the club parted company with Paolo Di Canio.
Ball, who also stepped into the dugout for a spell in 2006, coached the under-21 side as usual on Monday evening after taking the first team for training earlier in the day.
The former Sunderland captain is mulling over his selection options ahead of the game, which sees Sunderland face the Posh in a cup competition for the second time in three seasons.
The Black Cats ran out 2-0 winners over United, then in the Championship, at London Road in January 2012 in the FA Cup with Budweiser thanks to goals from Seb Larsson and James McClean.
Indeed, Sunderland have won each of the last four meetings between the two sides, though Peterborough’s last visit to Wearside was back in October 1993 when they lost 2-0 at Roker Park.
Tonight’s game is only the seventh occasion on which the teams have faced each other, with Posh boss Darren Ferguson hoping to cause an upset having never beaten a Barclays Premier League team during his time in charge.
'It’s a big game for us and it’s one we want to win,” Ferguson told the club’s official website. “There’s no point in even travelling up there if we didn’t think like that.
'It’s a brilliant stadium to play in and there should be a decent crowd. We’ve not beaten a Premier League team in my time at the club so I’d love that to change.”
Ferguson will be without Mark Little and Nathaniel Knight-Percival for tonight’s game but still has plenty of options within a squad which has made an excellent start to the new campaign.
United suffered relegation from the Championship on an agonizing final day last season but look all set to bounce back at the first attempt having dropped just five points during their first eight league outings.
They remain unbeaten away from home and have scored a league-high 14 goals on the road.
Meanwhile their Capital One Cup form has been just as impressive, with a 5-1 win over Colchester followed up by a 6-0 home trouncing of Reading, featuring a Lee Tomlin hat-trick.
Cash turnstiles are open for tonight’s game, with admission priced at £10 adults and £5 over-65’s and under-16’s.
Sunderland v Peterborough: James Hunter's match preview
Sunderland v Peterborough will be given an added interest after the turmoil of Paolo Di Canio's sacking. What lies in store?
Sunderland v Peterborough should on paper see the Black Cats installed as favourites - but their season so far has been anything but straight forward.
Kevin Ball will be in the Sunderland dugout following Paolo Di Canio's sacking and the atmosphere around the club is bound to be different. Whether or not they play with the shackles off, the players are bound not to be taking any chances following the scare against MK Dons.
How will the players react to the change at the top? What can fans expect from the game? The Chronicle's Sunderland writer James Hunter looks ahead to tonight's match and all the implications.
Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson braced for Sunderland backlash
Peterborough chief Darren Ferguson has warned his players to be on guard as they face Sunderland less than 48 hours after Paolo Di Canio's sacking
Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson expects Paolo Di Canio’s sacking to provoke a reaction tonight.
Di Canio was dismissed following a player uprising on Sunday, 24 hours after Sunderland’s defeat at West Bromwich Albion left them anchored to the foot of the table with only one point from a possible 15.
With Sunderland’s under-21 boss Kevin Ball stepping up to take the reins on a temporary basis, the Wearsiders could go into tonight’s Capital One Cup third round tie against League One Posh with a very different gameplan to the one which failed under Di Canio.
Ferguson admits he was surprised Sunderland acted so quickly to remove Di Canio, and has warned his players to expect a reaction at the Stadium of Light.
He said: “Paolo had only been there six months, which is not a lot of time, so I am surprised they have made a change.
“I guess we will find out tonight what difference the change makes to Sunderland, but it has made our preparations a little more difficult.
“Their set-pieces and their formation may now be different for a start and there is often a positive short-term reaction to a change of manager.
“The players and the fans will see it as a fresh start.
“They have been losing too many games and they will want that to change as soon as possible, so I am expecting Sunderland to fly at us from the start.
“We know we face a hard game as we are playing a Premier League side away from home, but we also knowif we play to our best we will give them a tough match.”
Posh were relegated from the Championship last season but go into tonight’s game riding high in second in the table having won their last two games - and will feel they can produce an upset.
Ferguson added: “It is a big game for us and it’s one we want to win. There is no point in even travelling up there if we did not think like that.”
Ball hoping past experience will help as he steps into Sunderland hotseat once again
Kevin Ball hopes his previous spell as Sunderland caretaker-boss will help him as he takes temporary charge for a second time
Kevin Ball believes his previous stint as caretaker-manager will stand him in good stead as he takes temporary charge of Sunderland for a second time.
Following Paolo Di Canio’s sacking at the weekend, under -21s boss Ball will be at the helm tonight as Sunderland take on League One outfit Peterborough in the third round of the Capital One Cup at the Stadium of Light.
It is a situation Ball has found himself in before, having taken charge of the club for the final 10 games of the 2005-06 season when Mick McCarthy was sacked as the Black Cats spiralled towards relegation.
Ball’s tenure is unlikely to be as long this time, but he hopes he can steady the ship before a new full-time appointment is made.
He said: “The situation last time was slightly different but it did give me some experience, whether this be for one or 10 games.
“I did enjoy it last time and I hope I feel the same way about this one as well.
“I am quite comfortable with it.
“We spoke about the importance of the game after training yesterday, but before training it was never mentioned, because heir heads were spinning a little bit. I just wanted to watch them in training and see who was focused and who was not.”
Sunderland struggled to overcome League One MK Dons in the last round of the cup and will face another testing game against a Peterborough side flying high in the league and which thrashed Championship Reading 6-0 in the previous round.
Ball added: “Peterborough have started the season very well so it will be a good test for us.
“The nice thing is we are at home and it is up to us to make sure we get the crowd behind us and make sure we make things happen.
“We had 22 players training yesterday and I will sit down with Robbie [Stockdale, Ball’s lieutenant at under-21 level] who is going to help me to pick the team we think is right.
“I expect the players to demand 100% from each other and if they do that the result has a chance to take care of itself.”
Paolo Di Canio: Sunderland players met CEO before sacking
Sunderland players approached the club's chief executive Margaret Byrne to complain about manager Paolo Di Canio before the Italian's sacking.
Di Canio held a heated team meeting on Sunday following the 3-0 defeat by West Bromwich Albion.
Afterwards senior players told Byrne that the situation had become untenable because of the Italian's "brutal and vitriolic" criticism of the squad.
The Black Cats have only one point from five Premier League games this season.
Former Chelsea and West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo is the bookmakers' favourite to replace Di Canio, with Gus Poyet, Tony Pulis and Alex McLeish also in the running.
Development coach Kevin Ball has taken caretaker charge of the first team and led training on Monday ahead of Tuesday's League Cup tie against Peterborough.
Ball, who took over in 2006 for 10 games following Mick McCarthy's departure, is ready for his second stint.
"I enjoyed it last time and I hope I feel the same way about this one as well," he said.
"It is sometimes a natural progression to be able to do all of those things, so I was quite comfortable with it."
Di Canio won only three of his 13 matches after replacing Martin O'Neill in March and took one point from five top-flight games this campaign.
The former Swindon boss immediately attracted controversy following his appointment, partly because of a fascist-style salute he made while playing for Lazio in 2005.
But he guided Sunderland to Premier League safety and led the team to a famous 3-0 win over Newcastle to earn valuable points in the fight against relegation.
However, public criticism of his squad at the end of last season was followed by bans on mobile phones, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and ice in Coca-Cola at the club's training ground.
After Saturday's loss to West Brom, Di Canio was verbally abused by travelling supporters and further criticism of his players led to anger among the squad.
Ball now has the challenge of galvanising the squad ahead of the third-round tie but he has told them that their form this season has not been good enough.
Sunderland's only win of the season was the 4-2 victory over MK Dons in the previous round.
"The immediate priority on Monday was just to really meet the players, talk to the players, take them out, have a session with them," added Ball.
"Because of the events of the last day or whatever, there's not a great deal of stuff you could have put into their minds ready for Tuesday night.
"We didn't particularly talk about the game, but after training we mentioned it and just said about the importance of it and what we were doing."
Analysis: Ian Dennis
BBC Radio 5 live senior football reporter
"Now from Sunderland's point of view there is going to be real pressure on the owner, Ellis Short, to get it right for the club in the long term.
"Roberto Di Matteo is favourite with the bookmakers with Kevin Ball as caretaker boss ahead of the Peterborough game on Tuesday but Sunderland are not going to rush into an appointment. They believe at the moment Kevin Ball is a safe pair of hands.
"I think Ellis Short needs to get this right for the long term as Sunderland need stability."
Di Canio's journey
Born in Rome, 9 July 1968
Played in Italy for Lazio, Juventus, Napoli, AC Milan, Cisco Roma
Played in Britain for Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham and Charlton
Fined £10,000 in 1998 by the FA for pushing referee Paul Alcock to the ground after being sent off against Arsenal
Wins Fifa Fair Play award for sportsmanship in 2001 for catching ball and stopping play v Everton to allow injured keeper Paul Gerrard to receive treatment
Criticised in 2005 for making fascist-style salute in Lazio game
Appointed Swindon boss in May 2011; guides them into League One a year later
Resigns as Swindon boss in February 2013 citing issues with the club's hierarchy after sale of star player Matt Ritchie
Replaces Martin O'Neill as Sunderland boss in March 2013; club avoid relegation
Sacked after four defeats in five league games of 2013-14
Sunderland to stick with Continental approach and appoint another head coach
Sunderland will keep faith with their Continental system and appoint another head coach, rather than change tack and appoint a traditional manager
Sunderland are searching for another specialist head coach to succeed Paolo Di Canio, in line with their much-vaunted Continental structure.
After appointing Di Canio as head coach at the end of March as successor to manager Martin O’Neill, the Black Cats completed their switch to the new structure over the summer by appointing Italian agent Roberto De Fanti as director of football and bringing in chief scout Valentino Angeloni.
Despite the decision to jettison Di Canio after less than six months and only 13 games in charge, the club will stick to their blueprint.
Former Chelsea and West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo remains the favourite to follow Di Canio into the hotseat, with ex-Brighton boss Gus Poyet also in the running, and both would fit into Sunderland’s system.
The fact the Wearsiders are searching for a coach rather than a traditional manager would appear to make a move for out-of-work ex-Stoke City boss Tony Pulis unlikely.
Sunderland have made it clear they are in no hurry to make an appointment.
Caretaker boss Kevin Ball is understood to have been told he will be in charge of Sunday’s Premier League game against Liverpool in addition to tonight’s Capital One Cup tie against Peterborough.
That indicates it will be next week at the earliest before the new man is installed.
The delay may also be because the speed of Di Canio’s exit caught Sunderland on the hop.
The weekend defeat at West Bromwich Albion - and Di Canio’s on-field reaction to it- in all likelihood sealed his fate. Instead of allowing him to continue while working behind the scenes to find someone to take his place, Di Canio’s furious bust-up with the players on Sunday forced owner Ellis Short’s hand.
Senior players approached chief executive Margaret Byrne and said they no longer had confidence in the Italian and when Short was informed he acted immediately - before a successor could be lined up.
In contrast, when O’Neill was sacked, Di Canio was appointed just 24 hours later.
Kevin Ball was in charge of Sunderland under-21s last night as they beat 10-man Middlesbrough at Eppleton.
A goal either side of half-time from Liam Agnew, and a first-half penalty from Mikael Mandron, gave the U21s their fifth victory in six games.
Luke Williams scored twice in the first half for Boro, including one from the penalty spot.
Boro also had Jonathan Burn sent off before half-time for a professional foul.
Sky sources: Sunderland players' intervention key to Paolo Di Canio sacking
Paolo Di Canio was sacked after some senior Sunderland players complained to the club about him, Sky sources understand.
The Italian lost his job on Sunday night just five games into the Premier League season - and hours after he held a training-ground inquest into Saturday's 3-0 defeat at West Brom.
In the fallout from that meeting, some of the club's senior men went above Di Canio's head to express their concerns about his management style.
And the board of directors - already considering the manager's position after he strode onto the pitch at West Brom to face down the travelling supporters - then acted to terminate his contract.
In his six months on Wearside Di Canio increased the workload in training and was at times publicly critical of his players but - this season, at least - his methods have not paid off.
Sunderland have taken just one point from their five league games to date, and academy coach Kevin Ball will be in charge for their next two fixtures - Tuesday's Capital One Cup tie against Peterborough and Sunday's home game against Liverpool.
Roberto Di Matteo is the bookmakers' early favourite to replace Di Canio, but in the meantime Ball - a player on Wearside for almost all of the 1990s - will reprise a role he previously held for 10 games following Mick McCarthy's 2006 departure.
He said: "The situation last time was slightly different to this time, but it did give you an experience, whether it be for one or 10 games.
"I enjoyed it last time and I hope I feel the same way about this one as well. It allows you to say, 'Well, I have done it before, it's not something that's unexpected'.
"I have coached for 10 years, so within that, you do so many things that a manager would do anyhow, it's not a fantastically, unbelievable step."
Sunderland owner Ellis Short is busily drawing up a shortlist of potential candidates to replace Di Canio, but is in no rush to make an appointment as he attempts to get the right man.
But whoever does eventually get the job, Martyn McFadden, editor of fanzine A Love Supreme, insists it must be a man who can knit together a dressing room decimated during the death throes of Di Canio's ill-fated reign.
McFadden said: "We have got a position where we have got 14 new players and most of them have got little or no Premier League experience.
"We need to get an experienced manager who knows how to get the best out of these players, someone who knows how to handle the players.
"Some of these players need an arm around their shoulders, a bit of man-management as opposed to lambasting them and dismantling confidence."
Di Canio managed only three victories in his 13 games in charge and just two of them in the league, although the first, a 3-0 derby win at Newcastle, granted him instant hero status on Wearside.
McFadden said: "People will always be grateful to him for the fantastic day out in Newcastle we had and that's what made him initially so popular with the fans.
"The bottom line is he wasn't given long enough and that has angered some fans, but that's Ellis Short's decision."
Sunderland's next Premier League game against Liverpool is live from 3.30pm on Sky Sports 1 this Sunday.
Who should take charge at Sunderland?
Steve McClaren Roberto Mancini
Gus Poyet
Roberto Di Matteo
Kevin Ball
Tony Pulis
Niall Quinn
Other
Celtic boss Neil Lennon refuses to be drawn on Sunderland link
Celtic boss Neil Lennon has refused to be drawn on reports linking him with the vacant manager's job at Sunderland.
Lennon has been backed into as low as 16/1 with Sky Bet to replace Paolo Di Canio, who was sacked on Sunday after a miserable start to the Premier League campaign.
But speaking ahead of the Hoops' Scottish League Cup home tie against Morton on Tuesday night, he distanced himself from the claims.
"I'm not aware of me being linked with anything. You are asking the wrong person."
Neil Lennon
"I don't like answering questions on this kind of thing," he told Sky Sports News.
"I'm not aware of me being linked with anything. You are asking the wrong person.
"Maybe you should ask the people linking me with the jobs. I'm not aware of who they are. I'm very, very happy doing what I'm doing at the minute."
Of the match with Morton, in the only domestic competition he has yet to win, Lennon revealed he would rest some of the players in action in the 2-1 victory over St Johnstone at the weekend.
"The League Cup was the first competition I won as a player here and first I won as a captain," he added, "so it does have some significance for me personally.
"We have only won the trophy 14 times. Even if you go back to Mr Stein's time, it's not been a competition we have dominated. But it's a competition we are in and one we want to win.
"There are a few players who will need a break and we will change the team from the weekend. But they won't be drastic changes and we will treat Morton with the respect they deserve."
Kevin Ball will take charge of Sunderland's game with Peterborough following the sacking of head coach Paolo Di Canio.
Ball must cope without striker Steven Fletcher, who suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder at West Brom.
Peterborough duo Nathaniel Knight-Percival and Mark Little were sent off on Saturday and begin three-game bans.
Midfielder Danny Kearns missed out at the weekend because of a knock and will be assessed.
MATCH PREVIEW
Sunderland's only win under Paolo Di Canio this season was their League Cup victory against MK Dons, but the Italian won't be in charge for the Black Cats' next clash with League One opposition.
The Wearsiders scored four goals in the last 12 minutes to avoid an upset in the last round, but the 4-2 victory only served to delay the inevitable, with Di Canio dismissed 48 hours before this fixture.
Sunderland's next two league games are against Liverpool and Manchester United, but League One high-flyers Posh will also represent difficult opponents.
Darren Ferguson's side have won six of their eight league games so far and are only five points behind runaway leaders Leyton Orient following Saturday's win against MK Dons.
They played the vast majority of that match with 10 men, and hung on for victory despite a second red card with 14 minutes remaining - suggesting team spirit is strong.
Moreover, Posh have 11 goals in their two League Cup matches this term - including a 6-0 humbling of Championship outfit Reading.
MATCH FACTS Head-to-head
The sides have never met before in the League Cup.
Sunderland have won five of their previous six games against Peterborough.
Posh have lost all three of their previous trips to Wearside, conceding a total of 12 goals.
Sunderland
Sunderland have alternated between progression and elimination in their last 11 home League Cup games. A defeat on Tuesday would maintain that sequence.
They were knocked out of the League Cup by lower league opposition at this stage last season, losing 1-0 at home to Championship side Middlesbrough.
The Black Cats have lost their last three games, their worst run since losing three matches in a row (to Reading, Arsenal and West Brom) in February.
Peterborough
Posh have won eight of their 10 games in all competitions this season.
They have scored 11 goals in the League Cup this season, more than any other side.
Lee Tomlin is the competition's leading scorer this season with five goals in two games.
No player has assisted more goals in this year's competition than Peterborough's Craig Alcock (three).