On but Jack’s handle on it
ons League football. “Their performances on the pitch have reflected how much influence they have around the club,” Ross says of the experienced figures in an otherwise youthful squad. “They’re big assets for us not just because of their experience and game knowledge, but their quality within the league will be vitally important.
“They have played an important role in helping drag the club to a good start because we have a relatively young squad and there were players who came in at a young age who were relatively new to this environment. Those types of (experienced) players can lead within that – some do it by communication and off-field stuff, some simply do it by their own performances either in training or on the pitch.”
Most of the rest still have their L-plates on to one degree or another, and Ross thinks playing in such intense fixtures on a weekly basis will accelerate their footballing education.
“At St Mirren I had a really young squad and we survived relegation and I said to some of the young players if they could get through this period it would stand them in brilliant stead for the rest of their careers,” he said. “Some of them then went on to be successful in the following season and then move – like Stevie Mallan, who’s now at Hibs or Lewis Morgan, who’s at Celtic.
“It’s important to point out at times the education these players are having by dealing with the pressures not just of playing for Sunderland, but the demands of playing away from home in particular. They can’t shy away from the pressure.
“Sometimes it’s good to show them how well they’re doing in that respect.
“You can’t deal with what we’ve got to deal with without being good players in a football sense, and strong mentally.”
Another pressure comes from Sunderland’s history – recent and distant.
It would not be a pre-FA Cup press conference without someone mentioning 1973.
“I’m acutely aware of the history of the club and how significant that year continues to be for the club,” says Ross.
“But I would dare say the pressure on my shoulders falls more around league than cup success. There may come a time in the future when that changes but certainly at the moment it’s about trying to be a promotionwinning manager if nothing else.”
This could be the first season since 1987-88 Sunderland are not involved in the FA Cup third round but they won Division Three that year, and would be happy if history repeated itself.
“We always want to win games but I don’t think there’s anybody associated with the club, or who has a love for the club, who wouldn’t take that,” Ross admits.
“We want to make sure our spell in this league is short-lived and try to begin this upward journey.”
Whatever the pressure today, there is plenty more to come.