ECHOES OF SIR ALEX – IS JACK THE LAD TO REVIVE CATS?
JACK ROSS’ TRANSFORMATION AT ST MIRREN LIKENED TO ABERDEEN AND MANCHESTER UNITED LEGEND SIR ALEX
There was one box that Jack Ross didn’t tick.
When Sunderland’s new regime began their search for Chris Coleman’s replacement, they had in mind a manager with a strong record in League One. At that stage, gambling on a rookie seemed unlikely.
Even as recently as Monday, Stewart Donald told the assembled media that while not essential, a track record of success in the lower leagues was preferential.
Donald, though, was privately beginning to believe that the St Mirren boss was the outstanding candidate for the role. References from north of the border were overwhelmingly strong, and while Ross may not have started the process as number one choice, he quickly became it.
It was the same for Ross, who began the week seemingly destined for Ipswich yet is set to be announced as Sunderland boss today.
Sunderland’s interest in Chris Wilder was well known and strong. It was Wilder whose direct, uncompromising style had begun Oxford United’s rise, a story close to the heart of the new regime, from the conference nearly a decade ago and he was the closest thing to guaranteeing League One success.
His numbers are second to none and he has done it playing an eye-catching brand of robust, attacking football.
There was always a suspicion that his interest was strategic and so it proved, signing a new deal at boyhood club Sheffield United.
Ross was already beginning to win support behind the scenes at Sunderland by this stage; Paul Hurst another who, while off the table as he prepared for a League One playoff final this weekend, was admired.
He would have been a fine candidate but eventually, the new regime decided to act and move for the man who they felt had come out strongest in every other category.
Ross, without question, will walk into a job that is bigger, tougher and more demanding than anything he has faced in his football career. It is for both parties a gamble but one they see as worth taking.
That, in a sense, was part of the attraction. To appoint a manager who is on an upward curve and sees Sunderland as the kind of opportunity they may never get again. That is the template for the squad to be built this summer and so it was felt a statement needed to be made.
Ross also brings a commitment to full-throttle football that is deemed essential to restoring a connection in the Stadium of Light and above all else, getting the maximum out of Sunderland’s ‘hefty budget’ in the third tier.
Ross is no footballing ideologue, as he outlined in an interview with TheTwoPointOne, saying: “The emergence and success of Barcelona in the Guardiola era almost ruined the game, and I mean in that in the nicest possible way.
“There became almost an obsession with replicating that style of football which isn’t possible in circumstances with the tools you have.”
Hedoes,however,demand a high-pace game and puts intensity at the core of his training and tactics. St Mirren have been encouraged to play out from the back, but they press hard and there is a significant emphasis on being direct when the ball reaches the final third.
Training has been built around firm repetition of finishing inside the box and creativity in the final third. In this sense, Ross is supported by James Fowler, the former Queen of the South manager, who is now firmly established as his sounding board and right-hand man.
To produce the high-tempo football he desired, he had to overhaul his squad just months into his reign, signing ten players in a frantic January window that transformed the team’s fortunes. On Wearside he will find it tougher, unquestionably.
Donald has already said that recruitment will be manager driven and Ross will need to get right straight away and on a grand scale. Initially, recruitment had been one of the reasons why a manager with a strong working knowledge of the League One market was favoured. Sunderland is a club where recruitment has systematically failed and for all his coaching abilities, Ross will stand or fall on the players he can bring in.
What he does have at his disposal is a category one academy producing top talent, and this is a key reason why he has been handed the task.
Ross’ drive for dynamism in his squad offers a natural home for young players and it was telling that early into his reign in Paisley, with the team struggling, he threw in two teenagers. Kyle Magennis went on to form the bedrockofhistitle-winningteam, while Kyle McAllister quickly signed for Derby County.
Lewis Morgan has been superb this season and won a move to Celtic.
His praise for Ross is effusive: “Jack played a massive part in the progress of St Mirren, but there are other factors too – the chairman, the fans and the players,
“We got the results to stay in the Championship and then kicked on again this season. But most of the credit has to be attributed to Jack. He’s been brilliant for St Mirren and, rightfully, other clubs are looking at him.
“He’d be a massive loss to St Mirren, but he deserves anything that comes his way.”
He will be expected to trust in and grow talent. The new regime see that as the one biggest advantage they have on teams outside the top tier and thought Ross stood out as the best candidate to capitalise on it.
He’s also seen as an articulate communicator, both with players, supporters and executives.
That is something the new regime lost when Chris Coleman was sacked, but it is crucial if they are to make good on their pledge of reconnecting the club with the community.
Whether Ross can ultimately make a success of the job remains to be seen.
His reputation in Scotland is strong, seen as one of the brightest coaching minds to come from the country in a number of years. Tony Fitzpatrick, chief executive of St Mirren, was handed his debut for the club by Sir Alex Ferguson and has not been shy in stating that he sees comparisons between the two.
At St Mirren, he has been credited with implementing a holistic plan for the club and Sunderland hope he will help do the same on Wearside.
“When Jack walked in, we were bottom of the league so he has done an incredible job,” Fitzpatrick said.
“He galvanised not only the club, but the whole community.
“I’m going to mention my favourite person again. Sir Alex Ferguson did it 40 years ago and I’ve never felt anything like that since.
“We enjoyed success, we’ve won leagues but really, as a crowd staying behind you, it