Paolo Di Canio Makes Tyne-Wear Derby More Important Than Ever for Newcastle

When Sunderland appointed Paolo Di Canio as their manager on March 31, fans and pundits alike considered it quite a shocker.

For Newcastle fans, however, it made perfect sense.

Controversial is a word thrown about far too often in sports, but Di Canio certainly fits the bill.

His political views, which have been constantly addressed since his hiring, and his outward admiration for Benito Mussolini, discussed in his autobiography, make him the perfect antagonist on a team already loathed by the Newcastle faithful.

While he isn't exactly the evil man he has been made out to be at several times in his career (he believes his shoving of a referee in 1998 gave him the label of "barbaric"), he is without a doubt a very confident and passionate man who is easy to love if he's with your club and easy to hate if he's against your club.

Di Canio is very familiar with intense football rivalries having played for Celtic against Rangers and Lazio against Roma. His England derby experience has been limited, with his stints at Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham occurring when their chief rivals, Sheffield United and Millwall, respectively, were on other levels of the English Football League table.

Coming into St James' Park shouldn't and won't be easy for the Italian. A win on Tyneside in his first match against the Magpies would be a dangerous precedent for an up-and-coming managerial star to set.

In recent times, Newcastle have held a stranglehold on derby results and even giving up the slightest ground could give Di Canio and his new look Black Cats some unnerving confidence.

There are of course factors besides Di Canio that make the April 14 fixture a big deal.

The importance of this upcoming derby goes beyond the usual rivalry. This match is all about Premier League survival.

Currently, Newcastle are three points ahead of 18th place Aston Villa and Sunderland are just one point above the relegation zone.

If the derby is to continue in the Premier League next season, both teams have to radically improve form. Newcastle were thoroughly pillaged by Manchester City Saturday and Sunderland have only taken two points from their last seven games.

There's a reason the Black Cats had an open managerial position for Di Canio to take.

Di Canio has never managed a club other than League One side Swindon Town, and he will be hungry to prove that he belongs as a gaffer at the highest level in England.

With so much meaning behind this match—if he can win it—then maybe he really does belong.