Jack Ross talk in

Summer Bee said:
This is not my words, I’ve just seen it on a supporters group and thought it read extremely well. If it’s anyone off here then let me know and I’ll delete it so you can post it.

Jack Ross Q&A at the Sunderland Referees Association

A difficult weekend for Jack, saw him come under a bit of criticism from some quarters of the fans; so a live Q&A in front of 150 might not have been his first choice of Monday evening relaxation.

However, he rose to the occasion and delivered some interesting views. (I say ‘rose’; the bloke is deceptively tall!!)

Jack gave a brief overview of his career, coping with rejection from a club at an early age (which he admits he didn’t handle brilliantly), and his fight to get back into professional playing again. The one thing that stood out for me during this, is that he cares what happens to players. Not just the 2% that make it all the way into having long careers; he cares about ALL players.
He’s also under no illusions over how big the task is at Sunderland. Asked by one audience member about how close he was to joining Ipswich, and what made him come here; his answer was simple. He indeed was close to going to Portman Road (he went on holiday pretty confident that the deal was done), however he learned of Sunderland’s interest; and was hooked.

There were a few laughs about his potential to require a gum shield for the Fleetwood game; and a wry wink and smile was given as he beautifully executed the line “mind you; Joey would have had you promoted by now”. He’s got all the charm and charisma of a guy who has every confidence in his ability; however don’t for one minute think that it’s arrogance. It’s not; this guy is as honest and humble as any man on the street...

Asked about how did he convince the likes of Cattermole and McGeady to stay, he went on to explain that he started work almost immediately in May of last year, and got the phone numbers of every player. Individually he rang them to introduce himself, and wanted to get his OWN impressions of who was up for the fight. Speaking about McGeady; he stated the he was first to say that he was part of the relegated squad, and wanted to make amends for that. When asked about convincing players to come, unselfishly, Ross said that he didn’t have to sell the club to any incoming player - the fans, the stadium and the facilities do that by themselves.

On a similar subject he was asked about the deadline day deal for Grigg - which again, he was honest about; stating that “all’s well that ends well”, but also quick to state that in an ideal world he’d have liked that particular deal done earlier in the window; only held back by the fact Maja’s situation dragged on longer than anticipated.

I asked if he thought the issues with our defence (and defending in general), might be down to the fact defenders are a lot more hesitant to put a challenge in now, due to referees and rules favouring attacking players more: he politely replied that it was perhaps a good point; but refused to use that as an excuse for not doing their job. I have a feeling that this week there’ll be a lot more work going into our defenders in the art of taking pride in defending. He didn’t criticise them; but you can clearly see he’s not massively happy about the way we’ve conceded.

Asked about the team spirit; he couldn’t be happier. There are NO cliques among the players in any way whatsoever; with the senior pros like Cattermole, McGeady (you can tell he really likes him as a person and as a player), and Leadbitter are all MASSIVE positive influences on the team.

When speaking about the signing of Grant; he said that the lad is absolutely desperate to get the club moving again; and genuinely is one of life’s lucky guys who gets to play for the club he loves....and isn’t afraid to show it in training or in games.

Last question: who’s the worst dressed player? Will Grigg is “a bit trampy” and “gets some decent wear out of his tracksuits”!

Overall impressions? I walked into there with an open mind. I left, an absolutely massive fan of Jack Ross. He’s here, he WANTS to be here, and is a very hungry manager. Don’t let the nice-guy side of him fool anyone; the guy has a determination to get Sunderland not only back moving in the right direction, but to do so in a fashion that pleases the fans....who, by the way he absolutely loves.

Ross the boss; I’m with you 110%

#SAFCKeith
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Good report marra..i felt ten feet tall when leaving tge fixture release at the start if the season, he talks very very well and i hope he succeeds here.
Results are now key for him...
 


thecloughywobble said:
That's my opinion. It has nothing to do with what you describe as his niceness or his ability to crack jokes. Who do you think would be better?
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I was genuinely interested as to why you believe he’ll be our best ever manager. What traits are particularly positive and how can be overcome his negatives?

Summer Bee said:
I’ve got similar sentiment, and for me it’s got nowt to do with him being a nice guy. He chose to come here instead of going to a team in a higher league. He’s never hid away and blamed players, fans or the club. He took over when we were a shambles and got us competing. He has instilled a mentality that hasn’t been here for years where we keep going even when we’re behind, nobody lets their head drop. I could go on
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I agree that he’s a model professional and can’t complain with how motivated his teams are. I just feel his tactical shortcomings are too great
 
Reiver said:
We'll be fine as long we have the collective tactical know how of the SMB for Ross to call on.
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That's just matter of opinion though isn't it mate? Imo it was clear as day he got it wrong on Saturday. It will happen though, it won't be the last thing he gets wrong. Overall I like the bloke and I think we'll get better and better under him
 
Mary Hinge said:
Defence shoulda been addressed in January, one League 1 beast of centre half woulda sorted it....
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Ah right, my mistake ... I hadn't realised it was that simple.

rocky said:
That's just matter of opinion though isn't it mate? Imo it was clear as day he got it wrong on Saturday. It will happen though, it won't be the last thing he gets wrong. Overall I like the bloke and I think we'll get better and better under him
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I just have to laugh when people insist that the manager is naive and can't see what the supporters can.

Ross is having to try to adapt to various circumstances like the loss of Cattermole, McGeady, Maguire, etc.

Much of what he does comes off but some things don't.
 
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The Rat said:
Nah called me a fair few names last week and I reported it and I got banned :lol:

So I thought, fair play, won't engage with that poster in future.
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That's not how it works and everyone knows it, you're fooling no one but yourself.

You were banned because of your own posts.

You're very rude to people and come across as a nasty piece of work.

I always treat people with respect unless they no longer deserve any.

Since I first posted, on here, I've always 'responded in kind' so if I call you names it's for good reason.
 
It started off well then it turned to shit and he stood with his hands in his pockets as it fizzled out into a disappointing end
 
Reiver said:
Ah right, my mistake ... I hadn't realised it was that simple.



I just have to laugh when people insist that the manager is naive and can't see what the supporters can.

Ross is having to try to adapt to various circumstances like the loss of Cattermole, McGeady, Maguire, etc.
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It is....Fowler identified that every team has at least 3-4 athletic beasts the other week, after half the the season they should of addressed the physicality issues......was Fookin obvious after half a dozen games....epic fail...
 

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