Ross must punt fat cats to be a Black Cats legend
Ex- Sunderland striker Kevin Kyle has blasted the mercenaries he says have run the Black Cats into the ground.
However, he reckons Jack Ross will be assured legendary status on Wearside if he can be the man to clean up the mess at the Stadium of Light.
Ross has penned a two- year deal to succeed Chris Coleman and will be charged with arresting a slide which has seen the Mackems crash from the Premier League to League One in consecutive campaigns.
Kyle, who started his career at Sunderland, scoring 19 goals in 109 appearances, is under no illusions about the scale of the task awaiting Ross – their fifth permanent manager in three years – as he seeks to rebuild a bloated squad weighed down by high-earners such as Jack Rodwell, Lamine Kone and Wahbi Khazri.
“The biggest task will be to get rid of the players who have no business being at that football club,” said Kyle.
“There are so many guys there on huge wages who have offered nothing.
“Jack needs to clear the decks, which could be difficult when you have guys like Jack Rodwell on £50,000 a week who hasn’t kicked a ball for more than a year. Who’s going to take him?”
His former’s club’s disastrous descent came as no surprise to Kyle.
He added: “I said to my wee boy, Max, after we went to watch them lose 5-0 to Celtic in 2017, ‘ If something doesn’t change, this team will end up in League One’. He said, ‘Don’t be so stupid!’
“You could see, even at that stage, there was something toxic at the club.
“They are a club so close to my heart. Without them I would never have been a footballer and I have a lot of friends down there. I hope Jack finally starts to turn things around.
“It’s a massive job and will be a huge challenge, but there are new owners, investment is coming, they are debt-free and will be looking to bounce straight back to the Championship.”
Nevertheless he believes the rewards awaiting Ross, named PFA Scotland manager of the year after leading St Mirren back to the Premiership, if he is a success at Sunderland, are huge.
“The potential is incredible and whoever eventually gets it right, rebuilds and takes the club back to the Premier League will have a place in folklore down there, legendary status,” he said.