https://www.sunderlandecho.com/spor...ks-jack-rodwell-and-staying-patient-1-9199737 Jack Ross has prioritised three things in his first week in charge of Sunderland – with holding talks with players at the top of the pile. The new Black Cats boss has hit the ground running after his appointment as he tries to get to grips with the huge task of turning the club around. Jack Rodwell. At the end of his first full week in the hotseat, Ross revealed to the Echo he has spoken to most of his squad, while also working on recruiting new players and putting pre-season plans in place. “I’ve spent a bit of time trying to speak to as many of the players as I can personally between different commitments, whether that is lads out of the country for one reason or another or different commitments. “I’ve managed to speak to a lot of them and at least they’ve had some kind of dialogue with me too before they come back in to pre-season.” The initial conversations with his players have been a combination of Ross introducing himself and also gauging which of his players are keen to stick around for a tilt at League One. New Sunderland manager Jack Ross. The 42-year-old fully expects there to be a number of players who will want to leave the club this summer after relegation, and admits planning which of his squad will still be around in a few weeks’ time is difficult. “It’s important I made some quick communication and it gave me an opportunity to introduce myself properly and have that initial chat with them,” Ross added. “Modern players use agents and representatives and communicate messages in different ways, but they’ve had dialogue with me in that respect. “And also, it lets me, I wouldn’t say get a feel as I probably already know where a lot of players are at, but there are players who would probably prefer their futures elsewhere but equally there are some who will still be with us come the start of pre-season so I need to make sure we had some sort of dialogue in the first instance. “That’s part of the challenges of the job at the moment because to predict what we’ll have with any certainty at the start of pre-season is a little bit difficult, but we will get there. We’ve still got a bit of time ahead of ourselves.” One player whose future remains uncertain is midfielder Jack Rodwell. The former England international will see his £70,000-a-week wages cut before next season, but will still be the highest-paid player in League One should he remain at Sunderland. Rodwell spoke earlier this year of a desire to continue his career elsewhere, but Ross says he hasn’t had a chance to discuss the future with the player yet. He said: “I think Jack is on holiday so I haven’t been able to get hold of him yet but he’ll be the same as every player I’ve spoken to or left messages with, they’re catching up and I understand players have holiday commitments as well.” While the first week has seen Ross and his assistant James Fowler work tirelessly, the new manager admits that he is also having to remain patient while other aspects of the club’s restructure take place. “It’s not just about starting as a new manager, there has to be a reality to the fact that we find ourselves in League One. “We can’t have delusions of grandeur, we have to have a reality and then figure out the best way to structure the club in a way that gets us out of that position and put us in the best position to move forward. “There is a fresh start to a degree but an awful lot of things to do. It’s about tackling the things I can affect – there’s only a certain amount of things I can affect at this time. “The things I can affect, I’m trying to do and with the things I can’t affect, I’m trying to remain patient.” Read more at: https://www.sunderlandecho.com/spor...ks-jack-rodwell-and-staying-patient-1-9199737
Rodwell's got a damned cheek to be on holiday when he's done bugger all to deserve one. The sooner that cretin is gone from our club, the better.
