Promotion or bust for Cats’ boss Ross
RETURN TO CHAMPIONSHIP ONLY WAY TO CONSIDER THIS SEASON A SUCCESS
I will take on the expectations and if I cannot match them then I have not done my job properly Jack Ross
JACK Ross says he will only rate his first season at Sunderland a success if he leads the club back to the Championship.
The Black Cats begin their League One campaign at home to Charlton Athletic tomorrow and Ross knows he and his team will be in the spotlight as the club embarks on what will be only the second season of third tier football in its history.
Asked whether he would view missing out on promotion - either automatic or via the play-offs - as failure, Ross said: “Whether it would be a failure is for other people to judge, but my own view is what I would view as success is getting out of this league.
“I have always tried to set targets for squads and for myself individually because I think they help drive you on, and throughout pre-season there has not been a day where I have thought I need to adjust my expectations.
“My aim has always been to get this club out of this league at the first time of asking.
“If I don’t do that, then it will be time to look at the circumstances around it.
“Right now, for me, it will only be a success if we are promoted.”
Sunderland have suffered years of stagnation followed by the indignity of back-to-back relegations but the change of ownership this summer, Ross’ appointment and the arrival of 11 new signings have reinvigorated Wearside and supporters are now eagerly waiting to see that translated into results on the pitch. Far from seeing the weight of expectation on Sunderland as a millstone around the club’s neck, Ross believes the players should use it to their advantage. He added: “The expectation and the pressure is going to be consistent at this club, regardless of which league it is in.
“It is always going to be there because of the size of the club and of the fanbase.
“It is a matter of how you use it.
“It can weigh heavily upon people’s shoulders or it can make you grow - and we are trying to make it the latter.
“We have managed to build that confidence and belief but that is without playing a competitive game, so it is easier to do that when you go into the competitive stuff and it matters more and people become more critical.
“The challenge to me is to continue building it once the season gets under way.
“I don’t think I have ever tried to dampen expectations, certainly not here, and I am happy to say I will take on the expectations and if I cannot match them then I have not done my job properly.”