MY LIFE WITH THE JACKEMS
Sunderland No.2 Fowler can’t believe his rapid rise since linking up with Jack Ross
Less than two years have passed since James Fowler played for Stirling Albion. As a 35-year-old trialist. After leaving his first gaffer’s gig at Queen of the South he pulled on the boots again just to stay in the game. At that point, he had no idea where the future would take him. His good work at Palmerston was being eroded by budget cuts and a player cull that threatened to tarnish his reputation. He even contemplated a job away from football. But a burning belief that he could help players kept him motivated. And an eagerness to learn might just have kept Fowler on the right career path. After all, he didn’t have to turn up at Alloa’s training session one night to see Jack Ross at work. That’s when the pair f irst struck up a rapport. Two sea sons later they’re still together and about to embark on a new journey at Sunderland. Ross and Fowler were a s ou g ht - a fter dou bl e - act this summer w i th Barns ley and Ipswich Town a l so keen to snare them. After what they achieved at St Mirren you might have thought they were or lifelong pals or had worked as a team for years, But not so. Now, after the best part of two seasons together in Paisley, they are friends as well as colleagues. But if you’re looking for a reason why they work as a partnership it’s their common desire to graft. That’s why Sunderland have entrusted them with getting the club back where they belong and bringing joy to Mackem fans. Fowler is already immersed in the job at the Stadium of Light, even from his temporary hotel room. But when he takes a moment to reflect, he appreciates that his last 20 months have been incredible. He told MailSport: “It’s crazy how things have changed so quickly for me. I suppose that’s the wonderful world of football. “I’ve always been ambitious and progressive as a coach.
“But when I left the job as Queen of the South manager, I was turning out for Stirling Albion. Eventually, I got the assistant manager’s job at St Mirren with Jack.
“And now I’m at a massive club in Sunderland with a huge challenge ahead. It’s mad to think about that.
“When I left Queen’s I always believed something would come up. Considering the size of the budget and the club, I thought I did well there.
“The second year was always going to be difficult but I felt I’d be better for that experience.
“I’ve always felt I had something to give. I’d learned at Queen’s and was still only 35.
“Genuinely, that helped me at St Mirren – and it will be the same at Sunderland.”
During his time out of the game, Fowler had heard about the work Ross was doing at Alloa.
Their paths had crossed sporadically during their playing careers but they weren’t friends – despite growing up just 15 miles apart.
That soon changed when Ross appointed Fowler as his No.2 at St Mirren in October 2016. And they’ve barely looked back since.
The new Sunderland assistant said: “Jack and I didn’t have much of a relationship prior to working together at St Mirren.
“We knew each other because he’s from Falkirk and I’m from Stirling. But it wasn’t like we were buddies who’d text or phone each other.
“I went to see him at Alloa a few times because I’d heard good things about his coaching.
“We’d have a chat and discuss my next move. Obviously, he kept that in mind when he joined St Mirren.
“And we did click fairly quickly. You never know how things wi l l work out but if you look at the results and performances, we’ve worked fairly well as a team.
“Even our families are close now – our wives and kids get on well too.
“When you’re working so closely with someone – and you put in the hours that we do – you strike up a relationship.
“We’ve lived and worked in each other’s pockets for two seasons. We’ve spent a lot of time together, with a unit of staff behind us. We need to recreate that at Sunderland. Everyone has to feel they’re playing their part and pulling their weight.
“If we do that hopefully we’ll get the same outcomes.
“Jack’s management of people is one of the most impressive things about him.
“You always have a turnaround of staff and players but his door is always open and he doesn’t shy away from that side of it.
“He tries to get everyone pulling in the same direction.”
That’s exactly what they will need if they’re to pull off the job they’ve been hired to do with the Black Cats.
Some see the Sunderland job as a poisoned chalice and their crash from the Premier League to League One has been sudden.
But with new owners in place, led by Stewart Donald, Ross and Fowler believe the club can only go one way. Dunfermline coach John Potter has now joined their backroom staff and Fowler can’t wait for the season to start.
Fowler said: “You think of Sunderland as a big club. But until you’re here and seen the facilities, you don’t fully appreciate it. “The recovery pools, gyms, undersoil heating on the training pitch – they probably take stuff like that for granted. It’s not like Scotland!
“Then you go to the stadium and see the size of it. It’s where you want to be as a coach.
“As a player you want to play at the highest level and it should be the same in management.
“Being in League One isn’t ideal for the club but we’re here to do a job. “When we first came in we just thought: ‘ Wow.’ I’ve had loads of texts and messages from people who want a job here – even as our groundsman or bus driver.
“That’s because they know how positive we are about the place. We felt at home straight away.
“It’s a massive job to get this club back in the Premier League.
“We missed out on that level as players. But as coaches it’s a possibility. We’re ambitious and everything’s in place here to be a Premier League club. We know where it can go and it excites us.”
It’s crazy ... things have changed so quickly for me. It’s mad to think about that