HE'S shared a dressing room with him and admired his team-mate on the training ground; they've disagreed, argued and made up. And, until Rafa Benitez stands up to him tomorrow, John Hughes is the last manager to go head to head with Paolo Di Canio on the touchline.

It's fair to say the current Hartlepool United boss is well qualified on the enigma (or genius) that is Sunderland's new head coach.

Team-mates for a season at Celtic during the 1996/97 campaign, Di Canio's last game in charge of Swindon Town was against Pools on February 9 before he quit and installed as the Black Cats' new supremo this week.

"Paolo coming here is a good thing,'' said Hughes. "I will let him settle in and then get in touch and hopefully get in there to see him, catch up and learn from him.

"I can only speak highly of him. A great team-mate to have, he could unlock the door as a maverick footballer.

"He was great to have alongside you, very passionate and volatile. But he was in it with you, because you were his team-mate. And that's all he cared about, a sense of spirit and solidarity, camaraderie.

"I think he is a great appointment at Sunderland.''

Hughes played and managed in Scotland, and admits while enthused by the Italian's arrival, it's tinged with a sense of sadness at the exit of Martin O'Neill, someone he looked up to.

"Martin was one of my contemporaries when he was manager of Celtic,'' said the ex-Falkirk and Hibs chief.

"He was one I looked up to, he had a great Celtic team. In football, managers are in it together. One gets the sack, a friend of yours, and then another one goes in. That's the sad bit of football.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Paolo make a success of it. He's the gaffer, you have to dance to his tune.

"I'm not surprised he has gone to the Premier League. Even as a player at Celtic, he was a fantastic trainer, always working on his game, doing extra fitness, demanding more from himself.

"He was always opinionated, it's great for the media. He's never afraid of upsetting anyone, in or out the dressing room.

"We had a coach in Tommy Burns who, trust me, was a stronger character than Paolo. They were good for each other, real strong spirits.''

Di Canio left Swindon after a season and a half in charge, when he won the League Two title, then left them on an upward curve in second spot in League One.

But does that Football League experience count in the top-flight?

"I've read comments from him and he feels he is ready for the Premier League after working at Swindon and taking them up, he's started the job,'' said Hughes.

"In football, as a coach or manager, all you are doing for the first five years or so is building up your own philosophy, your knowledge of how the game is played.

"For Sunderland's sake let's hope he can get into the players and turn them around. They need some results.''

Di Canio and Hughes spoke at the County Ground in February and Hughes added: "It was great to catch up with him the other week. He spoke non-stop. I thought I could talk, but I couldn't get a word in edgeways.

"We were talking football and his enthusiasm and passion for the game is evident.

"I think if he gets a few results then Sunderland will take off. He never doubts himself, he has great belief in himself.

"He has real good professionals there to work with - O'Shea, Gardner, Fletcher and the like. Good professionals want to succeed and if Paolo's way is the way to succeed then they are on a winner.

"He's a character on the touchline, shouting all the time, being animated.

"I read with great interest about managers and their ways and means. Eriksson got battered from the press because he didn't show his emotions, Paolo gets battered for being the opposite.''

Hughes added: "He's a right football man, I recognised it at Celtic as a player by the positions he used to take up on the pitch and how opinionated he was on how to play the game.

"It's no surprise to me he is a coach at the top level.

"Trust me, there's a very deep and thoughtful side to him. It will be interesting for everyone how he will do it.

"Then what kind of players will he be bringing in? Top Italians from Seria A? Once all the hype dies down, I know Paolo will be a success.''

From playing with Hughes at Celtic, Di Canio moved to Sheffield Wednesday, a team who included a young Ritchie Humphreys.

He is now playing under Hughes at Pools and admitted the Italian went a long way to changing the culture throughout the English game on his arrival.

"I was young when he came in at Wednesday,'' recalled Humphreys. "As a footballer he was incredible, a great trainer and would do things that other players could only dream of.

"I saw a different side of professionalism when he arrived, he was one of a few foreign players who brought that to the club.

"I learned from a lot of them.

"Paolo is a character and some of the things you see in the dressing room as a young professional, he wasn't shy in saying what he means.

"He's come to the North-East and it doesn't surprise me he's managing in the Premier League. He's played at the top level and achieved plenty. He did well as Swindon manager and been linked to several jobs.

"I think he will be a success and will make a difference between now and the end of the season - he's going to be very interesting.''