Summary: Sunderland legend and current broadcaster Micky Gray joins Phil for a deeper look into the fiasco that turned out to be the brief and tumultuous tenure for Paolo Di Canio at the Stadium of Light, complete with up close accounts of his managerial style, the problems that the early failures have left behind and what exactly Sunderland may have to do next to get out of this tremendous hole at the bottom of the Premier League table. The team continues to struggle mightily for goals, sits on only one point after seven matches and looks set to be cut adrift if a change in fortune does not manifest itself quickly as the opponents get no easier in coming weeks. Caretaker manager Kevin Ball admits Sunderland need to learn from their defensive mistakes, but the problems appear to be more pervasive than just one phase of the game and Micky helps us break down where the problems are, identify a couple of candidates who could take this process of safety to heart, and gives us a sense of what Sunderland provides a new manager in terms of the resources at his disposal. In a previous stint as caretaker manager in 2006, Kevin Ball secured a goalless draw against United at Old Trafford – a result which denied them the title but also confirmed relegation in the process. The question tonight is whether a repeat performance seems to be in the cards after 14 new players arrived this off-season to much fanfare and excitement, a crest in attitude and expectation that seems to feel almost from another season or another time.
