Around two weeks ago, after a 1-0 defeat from Manchester United, Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill was relieved from his duties at the Stadium of Light. Chairman and Owner Ellis Short acted swiftly in appointing O'Neill's successor, with former Swindon manager Paolo Di Canio taking the reigns less than 24 hours after his departure. This appointment made front and back page headlines across the country, with the media criticising Sunderland on their appointment of a self-proclaimed fascist. Despite that, there was an eager sense of anticipation surrounding the Stadium of Light club on their new manager, with the Mackem fans indicating they liked Di Canio's passion for the game. Things got off to a difficult start for Di Canio though, as his Sunderland side were beaten 2-1 by European Champions Chelsea. Then came the big one, the Wear-Tyne Derby. All the 'experts' predicted a Newcastle win, but right from the outset Sunderland were right in Newcastle's faces. A marvellous solo effort from Stephane Sessegnon opened the scoring on 27 minutes, with Adam Johnson and David Vaughan both scoring absolute screamers to complete the famous win. Di Canio celebrated each goal as if he was a born-and-bred Mackem, which is why I believe he'll bring success to Sunderland. The man has a passion for the game unrivalled by any other Premier League manager, which will certainly bring a much needed confidence boost to Sunderland's players. Not only that, the Italian knows a thing or two about tactics, the department in which most people though he would falter. He made sure Sunderland's defenders wouldn't let Newcastle's better players get on the ball, closing down Pardew's 4-2-3-1 formation, and starving Papiss Cisse of the ball. The Sunderland players also looked a lot fitter than they did under Martin O'Neill's reign. They looked up for it and willing to put a foot in, something Sunderland have seriously lacked all season long. No matter what excuses Pardew made up after the game, no one can deny Sunderland were by far the stronger team. To sum it all up, Paolo Di Canio has so far improved every area of Sunderland AFC he could possibly improve. Add that to his absolutely fantastic enthusiasm and spirit, and you have a recipe for success at The Stadium of Light.