That is not solely down to Di Canio. As he will no doubt argue when his failure at Sunderland is mentioned to him in future job interviews – if his reputation has not already been completely shot to pieces - he had no control over transfers.
He wanted to rebuild the side over the summer, to reshape and reignite. So did Martin O'Neill, but he was sacked before he got the chance because the club's American owner, Ellis Short, had already been convinced by a former agent, Roberto De Fanti, that he, not O'Neill, knew how to operate in a competitive transfer window.
Di Canio was given the manager's job on De Fanti's recommendation, but he was only allowed to have the players Sunderland's Director of Football selected for him.
He was also unable to hold on to those who managed to shine during the gloom of last season's successful relegation battle.
Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet could not be prevented from joining Liverpool and full-back Danny Rose has returned to Tottenham Hotspur after a successful season on loan. However, it was Di Canio's inability to work with Stephane Sessegnon that drove one of Sunderland's few creative players to join West Bromwich Albion.
Through no fault of his own, Poyet is deprived of three of Sunderland's four best players from last season and the other, top goalscorer Steven Fletcher, is still not fully fit.
It does not bode well for the Uruguayan, but he knew that when he took over and he must make the best out of things, at least until the January transfer window opens. He has been promised funds to strengthen and he will need them. He also needs De Fanti to come good in his role.
Indeed, while Poyet will be cut some slack because he has been brought in to clean up a mess not of his own making, the pressure is on Sunderland's Director of Football, who has been advising Short, behind the scenes at first, since the spring.
De Fanti may have escaped blame at boardroom level because of Di Canio's arrogance and dearth of man management skills, but the blame game is shifting towards him because too many of Sunderland's 14 new recruits are not good enough to play at this level at the moment.
Poyet should have been given the job back in March, but hindsight is worth nothing more than regret for Sunderland.
Having taken the rather strange decision to sack one of the most successful managers of his generation, O'Neill, Short liked the look of the former Chelsea and Tottenham player, but decided it was better to go for the out-of-work Di Canio.
Poyet was, at that stage, still on good terms with the Brighton board and looking to take them into the top flight via the Championship play-offs.
That appears to have been prudence at the expense of intelligence, but it matters not. Poyet is going to have to deliver something special in his first Premier League job or the £25m losses Short has covered in each of the last three financial years will seem a pittance.
He needs a win and there is no better team for Sunderland to beat than their bitter rivals Newcastle. Interestingly, they play them in Poyet's first home game on Sunday.
Win the North East derby, as Di Canio did back in April, and the lift will be instant. Lost confidence will magically reappear and Poyet will be riding the crest of a popularity wave on Wearside. His players will ride it with him and the poor start to the campaign will be forgotten.
A win would be the catalyst Poyet needs to begin an unlikely looking escape act, but should Newcastle avenge their loss earlier in the year and condemn Sunderland to a home defeat, the damage done could be irreparable.
No team has ever been relegated in October, but few will expect Sunderland to avoid that fate in May should the worst happen on Sunday.
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