Filed under: West Ham, Championship, League Two, Premier League, Football
It's not often that dreams start in Swindon, but for Paolo Di Canio the goal of one day managing his beloved West Ham is a step closer.Di Canio has been named manager of the recently relegated Swindon Town, after Paul Hart's firefighting job ended in the football equivalent of a smouldering wreck back in April.
It will be his first coaching job in England since he retired in 2008 and one where he hopes he can make a name for himself. Di Canio was on the list of contenders for the vacant post at Upton Park - for reasons concerning his likely salary demands rather than his emotional ties to the club, many suspected.
But he has opted out of what would be the extremely demanding and high-profile job of placating West Ham fans by leading them out of the Championship and instead chosen to cut his teeth at League Two level.
It is a smart choice for the former striker, who without a doubt would have been welcomed with open arms by Hammers fans desperate for positive news and blinded by the heart-on-sleeve demeanour the Italian displayed as a player. Di Canio is almost as one of their own as Ray Winstone and Geoff Hurst.
But after the initial honeymoon would have been over between Di Canio and the supporters, both would have realised how hard a job managing at Upton Park is, especially given the disproportionate amount of focus on the club from the media.
Just before landing the job at Swindon Town, Di Canio reiterated his desire to one day manage at West Ham, pointing to a tattoo as evidence of his love of the club.
He said: "This team has always been in my heart. I would give everything for West Ham - I even have a Hammers tattoo. I am saddened for the fans. But if they want, I could take over the club even in the Championship."
Di Canio will learn much of what he needs to know about management at the County Ground. Despite the fact they are in League Two, they have a large fanbase and owners who are hungry for success.
He is understood to have been on a three-man shortlist with Leicester coach and ex-Liverpool defender Dietmar Hamann and former Crystal Palace and Scotland manager George Burley. Fans have been decidedly lukewarm about his appointment, as much for his political views - he has admitted he is a fascist - as his lack of coaching experience.
But other former players with limited managerial experience have succeeded at Football League clubs in the recent past, such as Brian McDermott at Reading, Roberto Di Matteo at MK Dons and Paul Ince at Macclesfield.
The latter two got their dream of (briefly) managing in the Premier League, while the former is one game away from the top flight. Whether Di Canio can go all the way back to the East End remains to be seen. But Swindon Town is as good a place as any to start.
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