Sunderland boss Paolo di Canio doesn't want to hear his players complaining about their time off being slashed.

He revealed that he and key backroom staff have been working up until three in the morning in a bid to ensure the Black Cats' Premier League survival.

But the Italian, 44, insisted: "Maybe people think I am crazy, but this is my life, my mission and I want to become the best.

"When I go mad it is because we are talking about one-and-a-half hours on the Wednesday on the pitch, playing football.

"We are not talking about miners. It is not spending eight hours digging 300 metres underground.

"It is not even six hours jumping up to the trees, even though that can be a fun moment.

"We're talking about 90 minutes which gives you the opportunity to improve tactically and physically.

"Some footballers say they need to rest Wednesday because of the pressure. What pressure?

"On Saturdays after we lost I saw many sad faces in my time so why not work harder to have more days smiling?"