Premier League: Gus Poyet appointed as Sunderland manager

New Sunderland manager Gus Poyet replaces sacked boss Paolo Di Canio and insists he should not be compared to his controversial predecessor. Di Canio led the Black Cats for just 13 matches. His reign began with intense debates over his previous far-right political comments and ended with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of West Brom. "The time of Paolo has come to an end. We are all different. You cannot compare me to anyone. I am not better or worse, I am different" said Poyet. Poyet also announced that caretaker boss Kevin Ball would stay at the club while Mauricio Taricco and Charlie Oatway are expected to be in Poyet's his backroom staff, as they have worked together at Brighton before his dismissal in June. "Kevin doesn't know yet how important he is going to be for me. It is clear you need someone with the qualities Kevin has so I am going to count on him a lot," he said. Poyet described the task ahead of him as a "difficult challenge", as the team have taken just one point from their opening seven games. But the new boss is convinced they could survive in the Premier League. Poyet's first match in charge will be against Swansea on the 19 October before North East rivals Newcastle travel to the Stadium of Light on 27 October. Sunderland are 4/5 to be relegated at Bet365 while rivals Newcastle are 8/1.