Lollipop man’s wave proves Ross is up to the job

Cambuslang man Jack Ross knew he was taking over a St Mirren side stuck at rock bottom 12 months ago but confessed he was shocked at just how low the entire club was.

The Buddies boss can look back with satisfaction on his year in charge after completely transforming the Paisley side.

And it’s not just the fact a side anchored at the foot of the Championship when he took over now sits at the summit of Scottish football’s second tier.

The feelgood factor starts with the drastically improved performances and results under Ross and assistant James Fowler but runs right through to the stands and the offices at St Mirren.

On the day of his unveiling at Saints, Ross joked even the lollipop man at his daughter’s school in Cambuslang warned him it was a poisoned chalice.

Ross said:“The lollipop man gives me a wee wave when I’m driving past him now.

“He reflected the opinion of a lot of people at that time.

“It was a big decision to take the job but I always felt it was a good choice. I knew it would be challenging.

“But the overall mood of the club surprised me when I came in.

“If I’d known quite how low the club was it wouldn’t have made me not take the job but I’d have been prepared for a bigger challenge.

“The club had been on a downward spiral since winning the League Cup in 2013.

“It’s not easy to change because it’s a mentality. It starts with the players who can influence things on a matchday and sifts through the club.

“You can look on paper and see a team is struggling but until you’re right in the meat of it you don’t quite know how people are feeling.”

Ross started with a run of six league defeats in an eventful introduction that saw him confront angry fans after one home defeat and many felt they were relegation certs.

But he said:“It’s easy for me to say I knew it would turn after that initial difficult spell.

“James Fowler and I laugh at some of the dark days we had early on and late nights asking ourselves what more we could do.

“I never feared losing my job because I was doing it properly. We had faith that it would turn.

“Leading up to the January window it was long days because we decided we were going to roll the dice and make a lot of changes.

“It was a draining period but thankfully it paid off.

“Our biggest win was probably when we beat Ayr 2-0 in February.

“We were eight points behind Ayr and if we’d lost it would have been tough.”