After only 194 days in the job, Paolo Di Canio has been sacked as Sunderland manager.

Was it player power or the Italian’s management style that got him the sack?

Rumour has it that senior players went to the club’s chief executive Margaret Byrne to complain about their manager.

If that’s true, is it wrong for players to do that?

What if Oxford United’s senior players like Jake Wright, Ryan Clarke and Andy Whing went to chairman Ian Lenagan to complain about Chris Wilder?

How would that be viewed by United fans?

Every Oxford supporter is familiar with Di Canio and his antics from his spell with Swindon Town.

During that spell he had run-ins with players, publicly criticised them and came to blows with one of his OWN players.

It seems he adopted that same management style with Premiership outfit Sunderland and his short time there seemed to mirror his reign at Swindon, only without the ability to win games.

Whatever people thought of him during his time as the County Ground, he brought them success – but maybe that painted over any flaws he had.

His management style, press conferences and pitch-side antics have always been the same.

I told you a couple of weeks ago that I was a big fan of Jose Mourinho and how I would of loved to have played for him.

I am not such a big admirer of Di Canio’s style, however, and I know I would not liked to have played under him.

His methods seemed very old school and I feel the game has moved on from the ‘do as I say’ sergeant major type of management.

I am a big believer in discipline, but how you instill it is the key to maintain-ing a happy dressing room.

I have never been a manager and have no plans to become one, but I am a parent and believe the two roles have close similarities – having to manage different characters, trying to instill discipline, but at the same time give people the freedom not to kill their personalities.

My key for parenting, as it would be for management, is to gain respect, not rule by fear.

I have no idea what’s behind DiCanio’s dismissal, it might just be purely a result-based decision.

I just feel strongly that players shouldn’t have the sort of power to get a manager sacked.

We are paid to play and those people upstairs in suits are paid to make those sorts of decisions.