It's probably a good time to post this . . . .
Who is Jack Ross? A detailed look at the talented St Mirren boss who ticks the boxes for Sunderland A.F.C.
St Mirren boss Jack Ross looks likely to be the man to manage Sunderland A.F.C. after agreeing a deal with new owner Stewart Donald
St Mirren boss Jack Ross is the man expected to fill the vacant manger’s role at Sunderland A.F.C.
Reports suggest that new Black Cats owner Stewart Donald has agreed a deal with Ross that will see the 41-year-old earn five-times what his salary was at St Mirren.
Donald revealed on TalkSport on Wednesday morning that he had agreed terms with a new manager and said that he was excited to get the deal done.
With a busy summer ahead, and a big squad overhaul to undertake, getting that new manager in place as soon as possible is imperative.
So who is the new man in the hotseat at the Stadium of Light? It's maybe about time that we told you everything that you need to know about the St Mirren boss.
Career to date
The 41-year-old began coaching after a 16-year playing career which included an unsuccessful spell at Hartlepool United.
He started as a coach, working with Dumbarton and then Hearts before landing his first management job at Alloa Athletic in December 2015.
He was unable to prevent the part-timers being relegated from the Scottish Championship, but was handed a new deal and stayed on in the summer of 2016. He departed in October to take over at St Mirren in the Championship. At that time Alloa were second in the first division and had been praised widely after holding Celtic to a goalless draw for 83 minutes of a cup tie before succumbing to two late goals.
It was at St Mirren where Ross has really made his name as one of Scotland’s brightest young managers, though. Replacing former Sunderland player Alex Rae, he took over the Paisley club while bottom of the Championship and guided them to safety. Last season he then led them to the Scottish Championship title, and he was voted SFA Manager of the Year, beating Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers to the gong.
Style of play
Ross’ St Mirren side have become known for their attacking, fan-friendly football.
Playing the ball on the ground and out from the back, his football is pleasing on the eye and usually leads to plenty of goals. In 36 games last season they scored 63 and finished 12 points clear of Livingston, who were later promoted, via the play-offs, themselves.
His preferred formation for the Buddies was a 4-3-2-1 which in attacking scenarios quite often resembled a 4-3-3 and was said to have been very fluid.
Tactically aware, his side could be organised and strong defensively when needed too. After a testing Scottish Cup tie, Celtic’s Rodgers described St Mirren as ‘the best team that we have played’ back in March.
Man management
St Mirren’s players have regularly spoken about the great atmosphere at the club since his arrival, and his training methods have been described as ‘modern and enjoyable.’
Midfielder Cammy Smith praised his boss’ influence on his own career, saying: “It is not a surprise to see him linked with these jobs - but we know that he likes this squad, we know that he likes coming in to work, and we are the same so we are confident that we will all stay together."
“When I came on loan in January it was a bit different because every game was a must-win for us, but from day one I have been very impressed, even when he phoned me to ask if I was interested in coming to St Mirren for game-time.
He was exactly what I needed - and he still is. He has been brilliant for me personally, I enjoy playing under him, and I enjoy playing under the whole coaching staff here.”
Transfer record
Sunderland are going to need a massive squad overhaul this summer, and Ross certainly has experience of that.
Having been at the St Mirren Ground for just two months, Ross sold ten players in his first January window and signed just as many. It paid off, with the Buddies marching on to safety.
He wasn’t given much of a budget in the summer, but had signed the bulk of his squad in that January window and just added to it with some freebies and one or two loan arrivals.
Largely, his signings were Scottish players as he used his contacts to get players in, but there were a few that came in from England, too. Only one player came in from abroad (Pal Fjelde, Norway) and he didn’t play much.
Working with youngsters
Sunderland have a great core of young players at the club, and fans will be delighted to hear that Ross has been no stranger to using younger players during his time at St. Mirren.
Perhaps a selling point to the new ownership, was the fact that he also developed three of those youngsters enough to warrant bigger clubs to come in and buy them, making much-needed money for the club. Kyle McAllister moved to Derby, Stevie Mallan (22) was sold to Barnsley last summer, and Lewis Morgan was sold to Celtic before being loaned back for the season.
Relationship with the fans
When first linked with Ipswich, David MacDonald, editor of the Black and White Army website, told the East Anglian Daily Times: “He’s a really good guy. Almost the best thing that Jack did for us was, at time when the relationship between the fans and the club and the players wasn’t particularly healthy, that over the last 15 months he really bonded that relationship. The whole club is completely united and he’s played a massive part in that. Things going better on the pitch helps, but the way that he conducts himself is brilliant. He takes time out to attend fan functions, to engage with the supporters, and the way that he talks to the media is really good. He talks really well, and if he sits down in front of you he’s a very impressive individual. He’s not like a lot of football managers who are just full of clichés – he thinks about what he says and what he says makes a lot of sense.”
High in demand
Ross ticks many boxes that would attract Sunderland A.F.C. then, but that’s also the case for many others too.
He is still a contender at Ipswich having been given permission earlier this month to speak to them. The positive news is that the Tractor Boys are considering other options, though, including Frank Lampard.
He was a contender to replace ex-Sunderland player, Paul Heckingbottom, at Barnsley too, but opted to see out the season with St Mirren.
He was also made favourite to replace Dereck McInnes at Aberdeen when it looked like he’d be off to Rangers. Much like with Sunderland last summer, McInnes ultimately opted to stay at Pittodrie instead.
As well as that, Ross himself has not been afraid to reveal his high aspirations of one day managing the Scottish national side.
It’s clear that if Sunderland A.F.C. were to land Ross, they’d bag themselves a highly-regarded, highly sought after, young, modern-thinking, ambitious manager.
He's probably quite keen to get away from managing a team that look like badgers (or worse), too, in favour of a much easier on the eye and far more attractive team that play in red & white stripes
p.s. hopefully we haven't 'jumped the gun' here, and he is our man, of course.
Who is Jack Ross? A detailed look at the talented St Mirren boss who ticks the boxes for Sunderland A.F.C.
St Mirren boss Jack Ross looks likely to be the man to manage Sunderland A.F.C. after agreeing a deal with new owner Stewart Donald
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St Mirren boss Jack Ross is the man expected to fill the vacant manger’s role at Sunderland A.F.C.
Reports suggest that new Black Cats owner Stewart Donald has agreed a deal with Ross that will see the 41-year-old earn five-times what his salary was at St Mirren.
Donald revealed on TalkSport on Wednesday morning that he had agreed terms with a new manager and said that he was excited to get the deal done.
With a busy summer ahead, and a big squad overhaul to undertake, getting that new manager in place as soon as possible is imperative.
So who is the new man in the hotseat at the Stadium of Light? It's maybe about time that we told you everything that you need to know about the St Mirren boss.
Career to date
The 41-year-old began coaching after a 16-year playing career which included an unsuccessful spell at Hartlepool United.
He started as a coach, working with Dumbarton and then Hearts before landing his first management job at Alloa Athletic in December 2015.
He was unable to prevent the part-timers being relegated from the Scottish Championship, but was handed a new deal and stayed on in the summer of 2016. He departed in October to take over at St Mirren in the Championship. At that time Alloa were second in the first division and had been praised widely after holding Celtic to a goalless draw for 83 minutes of a cup tie before succumbing to two late goals.
It was at St Mirren where Ross has really made his name as one of Scotland’s brightest young managers, though. Replacing former Sunderland player Alex Rae, he took over the Paisley club while bottom of the Championship and guided them to safety. Last season he then led them to the Scottish Championship title, and he was voted SFA Manager of the Year, beating Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers to the gong.
Style of play
Ross’ St Mirren side have become known for their attacking, fan-friendly football.
Playing the ball on the ground and out from the back, his football is pleasing on the eye and usually leads to plenty of goals. In 36 games last season they scored 63 and finished 12 points clear of Livingston, who were later promoted, via the play-offs, themselves.
His preferred formation for the Buddies was a 4-3-2-1 which in attacking scenarios quite often resembled a 4-3-3 and was said to have been very fluid.
Tactically aware, his side could be organised and strong defensively when needed too. After a testing Scottish Cup tie, Celtic’s Rodgers described St Mirren as ‘the best team that we have played’ back in March.
Man management
St Mirren’s players have regularly spoken about the great atmosphere at the club since his arrival, and his training methods have been described as ‘modern and enjoyable.’
Midfielder Cammy Smith praised his boss’ influence on his own career, saying: “It is not a surprise to see him linked with these jobs - but we know that he likes this squad, we know that he likes coming in to work, and we are the same so we are confident that we will all stay together."
“When I came on loan in January it was a bit different because every game was a must-win for us, but from day one I have been very impressed, even when he phoned me to ask if I was interested in coming to St Mirren for game-time.
He was exactly what I needed - and he still is. He has been brilliant for me personally, I enjoy playing under him, and I enjoy playing under the whole coaching staff here.”
Transfer record
Sunderland are going to need a massive squad overhaul this summer, and Ross certainly has experience of that.
Having been at the St Mirren Ground for just two months, Ross sold ten players in his first January window and signed just as many. It paid off, with the Buddies marching on to safety.
He wasn’t given much of a budget in the summer, but had signed the bulk of his squad in that January window and just added to it with some freebies and one or two loan arrivals.
Largely, his signings were Scottish players as he used his contacts to get players in, but there were a few that came in from England, too. Only one player came in from abroad (Pal Fjelde, Norway) and he didn’t play much.
Working with youngsters
Sunderland have a great core of young players at the club, and fans will be delighted to hear that Ross has been no stranger to using younger players during his time at St. Mirren.
Perhaps a selling point to the new ownership, was the fact that he also developed three of those youngsters enough to warrant bigger clubs to come in and buy them, making much-needed money for the club. Kyle McAllister moved to Derby, Stevie Mallan (22) was sold to Barnsley last summer, and Lewis Morgan was sold to Celtic before being loaned back for the season.
Relationship with the fans
When first linked with Ipswich, David MacDonald, editor of the Black and White Army website, told the East Anglian Daily Times: “He’s a really good guy. Almost the best thing that Jack did for us was, at time when the relationship between the fans and the club and the players wasn’t particularly healthy, that over the last 15 months he really bonded that relationship. The whole club is completely united and he’s played a massive part in that. Things going better on the pitch helps, but the way that he conducts himself is brilliant. He takes time out to attend fan functions, to engage with the supporters, and the way that he talks to the media is really good. He talks really well, and if he sits down in front of you he’s a very impressive individual. He’s not like a lot of football managers who are just full of clichés – he thinks about what he says and what he says makes a lot of sense.”
High in demand
Ross ticks many boxes that would attract Sunderland A.F.C. then, but that’s also the case for many others too.
He is still a contender at Ipswich having been given permission earlier this month to speak to them. The positive news is that the Tractor Boys are considering other options, though, including Frank Lampard.
He was a contender to replace ex-Sunderland player, Paul Heckingbottom, at Barnsley too, but opted to see out the season with St Mirren.
He was also made favourite to replace Dereck McInnes at Aberdeen when it looked like he’d be off to Rangers. Much like with Sunderland last summer, McInnes ultimately opted to stay at Pittodrie instead.
As well as that, Ross himself has not been afraid to reveal his high aspirations of one day managing the Scottish national side.
It’s clear that if Sunderland A.F.C. were to land Ross, they’d bag themselves a highly-regarded, highly sought after, young, modern-thinking, ambitious manager.
He's probably quite keen to get away from managing a team that look like badgers (or worse), too, in favour of a much easier on the eye and far more attractive team that play in red & white stripes
p.s. hopefully we haven't 'jumped the gun' here, and he is our man, of course.
