Sunderland owner Ellis Short has acknowledged the work of Paolo di Canio last season.
Short knows the reaction to his sacking has been "mixed".
He admitted: "It has been a terrible start to the season and we are now living with the inevitable disruption related to parting company with our head coach.
"We owe great thanks to Paolo Di Canio for keeping us up last season. He came in and provided the fire that we needed to fight for the points necessary to stay in the league.
"I appreciate that opinions are mixed amongst our fans over whether he should have been replaced. Again, this decision was based on what we felt was best for the club.
"We wish Paolo the best in his future managerial career."
