FORMER Swindon Town chief executive Nick Watkins once described Paolo Di Canio's preferred style of governance as "management by hand grenade". Less than two months into the Italian's reign at Sunderland, and the pin has well and truly been removed.

Sunday's incendiary comments at White Hart Lane were akin to a cork being displaced from a bottle that had been fizzing away ever since Di Canio replaced Martin O'Neill and discovered the full extent of the mess he was inheriting.

While Sunderland were battling against relegation, Di Canio had to bite his lip, although the occasional criticism still slipped out when he could no longer contain his mounting fury.

Once safety was assured, however, the safety valve was released and Di Canio's exasperation was laid bare. For some, there is already no way back in terms of a place in the first team.

Will such a confrontational approach pay dividends? Given Sunderland's record of underachievement in recent seasons, it can certainly be argued that something had to change in order to enact an improvement.

If not exactly a squad hurtling out of control in the manner Di Canio seemed to be implying on Sunday, Sunderland currently boast a group of players with behavioural issues.

That much has been evident for a while, with tales of drinking exploits involving various players gaining credence as evidence emerged in the form of witness statements or camera phone images.

Lee Cattermole and Nicklas Bendtner were charged with criminal damage relating to the vandalism of cars in Newcastle City Centre in December 2011, and while they were eventually cleared, their presence in the early hours of the morning caused raised eyebrows.

Similarly, while Titus Bramble was cleared of assault last May, no one denied he had been drinking in a nightclub in Yarm. Only last month, Danny Graham was pictured in a bar in Newcastle ill-advisedly celebrating Sunderland's derby win over the Magpies.

Clearly, footballers are allowed to socialise like everyone else, but suggestions of a drinking culture that gathered pace under Steve Bruce and Martin O'Neill have been confirmed by Di Canio.

The Italian has also been frustrated by the lax attitude that prevails on the training ground when it comes to time-keeping and adopting a professional approach.

Players regularly late for team meetings, refusing to sign memorabilia for supporters and crying off training with the smallest excuse. Little wonder Di Canio is so fed up with the indiscipline of professionals who are earning up to £50,000-a-week.

Sunday's outburst was the Sunderland boss' way of saying he is not prepared to accept it any more, but as plenty of managers have learned to their cost, it is not always as simple as laying down the law and naively assuming your players will learn their lesson.

Di Canio's hardline approach reaped rewards at Swindon, but dealing with players in Leagues One and Two is different to handling the multi-millionaires of the Premier League.

The Sunderland squad have become accustomed to their perks and privileges, and removing them at a stroke will inevitably engender resentment. Dealing with that resentment will be Di Canio's toughest task as he attempts to prepare for next season.

Sunday's diatribe featured a criticism of the PFA's willingness to defend players who had been hit with fines, yet sources close to the Sunderland squad have hinted that battle lines continue to be drawn. The more positions become entrenched, the harder they are to modify.

Roy Keane was a similarly harsh task master, famously leaving players behind when they were late for a trip to Barnsley. His abrasive man-management style worked initially, but as players arrived with egos to match his own, he gradually became unable to retain his authority and ability to provide motivation.

The easiest way for Di Canio to avoid a similar fate would be to get rid of the players who are causing him problems and populate his squad exclusively with new signings picked by his own hand.

As both Bruce and O'Neill have discovered, though, that is easier said than done.

Will Bardsley still be a Sunderland player at the start of next season? He will be if no one wants to sign him because he still has another year on his current deal.

Should Di Canio bite the bullet and sell influential dressing-room figures like Cattermole and John O'Shea this summer? Even if he decides he wants to, he'll have to identify a buyer first.

It is extremely difficult to transform a Premier League squad in the space of one transfer window, so there is every chance that Di Canio will have to tackle next season with at least some of the players he has criticised in public and private this week.

Will they give their all for a manager who has little or no respect for them? Some might, but others might well decide that mutual dislike cuts both ways.

In attempting to solve one problem, Di Canio might well find he has created another. Even Sir Alex Ferguson accepted he had to pick and choose his battles.

Di Canio has made his point in emphatic and unambiguous fashion, but at some stage, he will have to begin pulling a squad together for next season. If he does not get his own way in the transfer market, rebuilding bridges could be his toughest task in the second half of the summer.