Yann Tear wrote the following article which appeared in the local Gazette on Friday:-
Gianni Paladini insists there is no big gamble attached to importing a man weaned exclusively on a diet of Italian football throughout his career and the Rangers Chairman does not expect the team to be dour under the new Manager. Luigi de Canio took his first training session at Harlington on Tuesday mindful that his first battle will be to establish proper lines of communication. The 50-year-old ‘does not speak a word of English’ according to Italian sources and Rangers did not even attempt to set up a Press Conference with a translator to introduce the man fans hope will steer them towards a bright new future. It is just one of the reasons why Chairman Gianni Paladini and new owners Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone may be taking a huge punt on the former Udinese and Napoli boss. Then again, if the main point of his stay is to keep onside with the owners, they will at least be talking the same language.
He will also have two other new Italian faces for company to help him feel at home – Luri Bartoli, 37 and Paolo Pavese, 50, having joined the backroom team. “I don’t think it’s a big gamble. It wasn’t a gamble for Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool and it isn’t for us,” the Rangers Chairman told the Gazette. “We are happy with what he’s done in Italy but time and results will tell. He’s very enthusiastic and very professional and he will do well for QPR. I expect his teams to be aggressive but to play good football as well.” Paladini joked that De Canio’s remit is to “win the Champions League” before adding, “the most important thing is to get out of the position we are in.”
De Canio – who has been awarded a contract that keeps him at the Club until the summer of 2010, had an undistinguished playing career as a defender and as a Coach. His CV is littered with brief spells. He seldom stays longer than a Season at any one Club. Not that such a detail worries Paladini. “I don’t even think about that, it doesn’t really bother me,” he said. “If you met a lovely woman, do you really worry about what she did before she met you ?”
De Canio’s best moments so far came in 1999 when he was handed a chance with Serie A Club Udinese and took them to eighth place and into the UEFA Cup but that only led to his sacking. In 2001/2 he led Napoli to fourth place in Serie B but his real stock-in-trade is as a no-nonsense Manager who troubled Clubs call to stave off relegation, an indication perhaps of the immediate level of ambition at Loftus Road. He kept Reggina up in Serie A after a play-off win against Atalanta in 2003 and he repeated the trick of avoiding the drop in 2005 and 2006. In between times, he was sacked by Genoa soon after being offered the job as their Club President had a change of heart. He should be thick skinned enough therefore, to know how things operate where disaffected owners are concerned.
“He is a highly motivated professional, whose dynamic and aggressive approach fits perfectly with the image and philosophy of the new management,” Paladini said earlier in the week. “He is fully aware of the high standards and objectives that the new management has set for the future of this Club and he is ready and eager to take up the challenge.” Uprooting to England after a career experiencing an entirely different football culture would suggest Paladini is right about that. “I will not disappoint their expectations,” De Canio announced. Caretaker boss Mick Harford probably rightly assessed there would be little scope for him in the new set-up and rejected overtures to remain as Coach. Former R’s defender Warren Neill also left this week
Steve Russell
Why a 3 year contract when he normal stay is about a year? One thing not mentioned is that the only Italian manager in english football of note was Rainer and he was a failure
Why a 3 year contract when hes normal stay is about a year? One thing not mentioned is that the only Italian manager in english football of note was Rainer and he was a failure