The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Ross backs record with young players
Jack Ross insists his track record of developing young talent speaks for itself as Dundee United seek to create a conveyor belt of home-grown stars.
The Tangerines handed senior appearances to 16 academy players last season, while they sold Kerr Smith to Aston Villa for a fee which could rise to £2 million.
United’s determination to create a fruitful and ultimately lucrative pathway for players is welldocumented, with owner Mark Ogren adamant that it is the club’s route to self-sustainability.
And Ross has not shied away from that aspect of the job, emphasising that from Lewis Morgan to Josh Maja he has never been afraid to promote raw talent and reap the rewards.
Most recently, he is the coach who brought through Josh Doig at Hibs – a leftback now valued at between £3 million and £4m.
“Every single manager and coach who sits in front of a board will always say the right things because they want the job,” said Ross.
“That’s whether we’re talking about style of football or bringing through youth players.
“The good thing for me now is – because I’m this far down the line – I can point to evidence of it.
“At St Mirren, I had Lewis Morgan, Stevie Mallan and Kyle McAllister who were all sold by the club. At Sunderland, we had Josh Maja who went to Bordeaux and Bali Mumba who joined Norwich.
“Then at Hibs, there was Josh Doig, who has come through and done so well.”
However, Ross is acutely aware of the need to balance youthful promise with established talent.
And he reckons his old Edinburgh rivals Hearts – who romped to third place and reached the Scottish Cup final last season – are an example of getting recruitment right under ex-Tannadice gaffer Robbie Neilson.
“There’s also the understanding that for Dundee United to continually compete in the part of the league we are in you need good, proven players to support that,” added Ross.
“You need to get the balance right and, in the conversations we had (Ross and the United hierarchy), there is an acknowledgement of that.
“Hearts are a good example. Their recruitment has been excellent in the last 12 to 18 months.
“They signed established players a lot of the time, and you have to marry that with the players you develop.”
Meanwhile Ross has explained the reason behind the eye-catching blazer and shorts combo he wore at his first United press conference.
The boss’s outfit of a pale blue blazer and dark dress shorts split opinion on social media in the aftermath of his unveiling.
Some fans praised Ross for his supposedly savvy sartorial choice, while others felt the new Tannadice boss had struck a bum note.
However, the ex-Sunderland and Hibs boss has now explained an injury was behind the look.
He told United’s website: “Some people wondered if the shorts at my unveiling press conference were a fashion statement.
“The truth is, I ruptured my Achilles tendon at the end of May while I was playing in a testimonial game for Sunderland’s kitman. I’ve been in a boot for four weeks but I got good news on Thursday and was told the tendon is on the mend.
“I’ve got four weeks to go, then all being well I’ll be out of the boot and be able to start moving about a bit more freely, but to be honest it doesn’t inhibit me that much – it just looks a bit strange.”