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Paolo Di Canio wants to use his own money to keep players on loan at Swindon Town

Dirty Tackle

In addition to being insane, Swindon Town manager Paolo Di Canio is also insanely competitive. This has resulted in the club winning promotion to League One in his first season and currently sitting fifth in the table in his second, but it's also resulted in him kicking his players, mowing the pitch, berating his goalkeeper and proclaiming that he does what he wants and no one can stop him.

To that point, Di Canio is offering/threatening to use his own money to pay the wages of a trio of players on loan at Swindon -- Tottenham's John Bostock, Norwich's Chris Martin and Charlton's Danny Hollands -- so he can keep them despite being cut off by his chairman from any further funds. From the BBC:

Di Canio was told by Robins chairman Sir William Patey he would not be given extra funds in January.

"I will put my own money in to keep them," said the Town boss.

"I will spend £20,000 or £30,000 and put my money in to keep them for as long as we can, because I care and I want to win. I'm sure with them we have more chance to win." [...]

"I'm not going to start selling my houses in Italy, but I want to keep those players," Di Canio told BBC Radio Wiltshire.

"When I die I will have a bit less money but will have the victory as a manager.

"I've spent big money on solicitors in the past; you can imagine what I would spend on my players."

"When I die I will have a bit less money but will have the victory as a manager," is the kind of quote that appears at the foot of a bronze statue outside a stadium. It's also the kind of quote that might make the collars on other managers feel a little tight.