TWENTY-FOUR hours after sacking manager Martin O'Neill, Sunderland moved swiftly to name a successor last night by installing controversial Italian Paolo Di Canio.

In a fast-moving couple of days at the Stadium of Light, the club's owner Ellis Short and chief executive Margaret Byrne persuaded Di Canio to become their first managerial appointment since Niall Quinn stepped down after deciding to bring O'Neill's 16-month reign to an abrupt end.

Di Canio travelled from London yesterday to rubber-stamp the permanent two-and-a-half year deal and is set to be paraded in front of the media at some stage tomorrow.

He will lead training this week before taking charge of his first game at Chelsea on Sunday and is likely to name Fabrizio Piccareta, who was his assistant at Swindon Town, as his No 2.

Di Canio is also likely to bring in his own goalkeeping coach, Domenico Doardo, and fitness coach, Claudio Donatelli, although his backroom team have not been confirmed.

Short said: "Paolo is hugely enthused by the challenge that lies ahead of him. He is passionate, driven and raring to get started.

"The sole focus of everyone for the next seven games will be to ensure we gain enough points to maintain our top-flight status. I think that the chances of that are greatly increased with Paolo joining us.

"Our fans have shown tremendous patience and understanding this season. They have continued to back the team in huge numbers, both home and away and that is something that continues to inspire all of us in our drive to give them the successful club they deserve. That remains our primary aim."

Intriguingly the volatile former Lazio, Juventus, Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham striker's first game in charge in the North-East will be the trip to St James' Park for a vital Tyne-Wear derby a week after Sunday's trip to Stamford Bridge.

While Di Canio lacks top-flight managerial experience he showed during a near two-year stay at Swindon Town, who he guided to promotion from League Two in his first season, that he is a promising manager.

The 44-year-old's style will shake players up in his first few weeks in charge, but those who have worked under him claim that with time his methods can bring the best out of a squad.

After resigning from his post at the County Ground in February he has been on the lookout for a role in a higher league and the prospect of trying to keep Sunderland in the Premier League excites him.

Short clearly hopes that in choosing Di Canio ahead of a long line of other possible candidates - such as Gus Poyet, Roberto di Matteo and Steve McClaren - that he can spark an immediate revival in their remaining seven games.

But not all Sunderland fans will welcome the news, given that he is someone who has courted controversy during his career both on the pitch and off it.

He has fallen out with players, coaching staff and supporters during his playing and managerial career and has caused a stir for his strong political views, having previously made fascist salutes to Lazio's right-wing fans.

Such views sparked the immediate resignation of Sunderland's vice-chairman David Miliband following confirmation of the appointment last night.

Miliband said: "In the light of the new manager's past political statements, I think it right to step down."

Di Canio takes over a club sitting just a point above the Premier League's relegation zone after Sunderland extended their winless run to eight games with a 1-0 defeat to an under-strength Manchester United on Saturday.

Short, just eight days after the club posted a £27m loss in their latest financial results, became restless as concerns of relegation grew despite sanctioning a £30m-plus spending spree in O'Neill's final five months in charge.

O'Neill, recently hit by news that leading scorer Steven Fletcher and skipper Lee Cattermole will miss the run-in, had already left the Stadium of Light after Saturday's defeat to United when he was informed of the decision to replace him by phone, even though Short was out of the country.

Sunderland supporters had long been crying out for his appointment and they finally got their man 16 months ago, when his arrival sparked a turnaround which lifted the gloom following Steve Bruce's ill-fated tenure.

But in recent weeks, most notably after Sunderland had failed to see off ten-man Norwich City at the Stadium of Light earlier this month, O'Neill's usual sparkle and spirit seemed to have taken a battering despite his denials last Thursday.

And while there were Sunderland fans desperate to see him succeed, time ran out on the likeable 61-year-old, who has struggled to hit the heights he reached during his time in charge of Leicester, Celtic and Aston Villa.

The playing staff remained behind O'Neill, although now the same group of players will have to quickly adjust to having a completely different character at the helm in Di Canio.