A well touted man for manager jobs in Edinburgh, Jack Ross’ name keeps cropping up in the conversation over whether he could be a decent fit for Hearts or Hibs.
The former St Mirren boss is out of work following his departure from Sunderland. It has resulted in speculation over him becoming either the Jambos or Hibees’ new boss.
Ross has been well linked to the Hearts or Hibs job. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Both clubs are looking for new managers after Craig Levein and Paul Heckingbottom left their roles as first-team bosses.
With the help of Graham Falk, a writer on Sunderland fan website Roker Report, we’re taking a look at whether Ross could really succeed in Edinburgh.
Initial start and recruitment
“The general consensus around Ross’ appointment was initially quite positive.
A good reaction. (Photo by Tim Markland/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“We needed a fresh start and we needed to grow. When he initially came in there were still lots of players on big wages and he needed to get 12-14 players in who had the right attitude and the right ability. They also had to balance the wage book.
“He did have a really tough job on his hands. His recruitment process was a bit scattergun last summer but it had to be I think. However, I believe the majority of the singings were wrong, although I don’t know how much of the recruitment was down to him.
“The chairman said it was always Ross’ final choice (with signings) but I don’t know if I believe that. Whether it was his fault or not, his recruitment had more misses than it did hits.
He made plenty of signings. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“The first 15 games were great. We had Josh Maja up front at the time and he played a 4-3-2-1. Maja scored 16 goals before Christmas, so we had someone who we could rely upon up top.
“We played St Mirren in pre-season and we won 6-0. The whole team looked attacking minded and really progressive. In the first 15 games we beat Gillingham 4-1, Scunthorpe 3-0 and a late winner away to Charlton on the opening day.
“It looked really attacking and the ball was on the floor, but after this period things went completely wrong.”
Ross’ Sunderland downfall
“We lost Josh Maja and signed Will Grigg. From there it turned into turgid, defensive, long ball football. I think losing Maja was the beginning of the end for him.
Maja left for Bordeaux (NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
“Stuart Donald set Maja a deadline to sign a contract or he would go on without him. It got past that deadline and Donald was still trying to negotiate a deal, it was all a bit of a mess.
“Grigg was a completely different player to Maja, so whoever was scouting for Maja’s replacement should’ve did a bit better. After January we started drawing games.
“We had a problem with our striker department and we brought in Jimmy Dunne who was meant to fix some defensive issues, but it actually made things slightly worse as he didn’t hit the ground running.
Never got going. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
“The January window wasn’t good for him. We ended up finishing fifth and losing the play-off final and I think the way we lost it really hurt Jack.
“He admitted himself that the season was a failure. His aim was promotion and he didn’t get that so therefore he deemed it a failure.
“I was ‘Jack Ross out’ from the start of this season. After the play-offs I thought he’d been a bit unlucky, but in hindsight, now that we’ve appointed Phil Parkinson who’s probably worse, I think he could’ve had better help with his recruitment.
Could’ve had more help. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
“He was left to take all the s**t and he wasn’t helped on that front. I think he could’ve had a more successful season if he was.”
Could Ross succeed at Hearts or Hibs
“I didn’t like the style of play towards the end and there were some really horrific performances towards the end. He also relied really heavily on Aidan McGeady, which when you’re relying on someone like him, there can be a bit of a problem.
“Ross’ biggest problem was not learning from his mistakes. Instead of learning from them he repeated them and he’s quite stubborn in that sense.
Always his way. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
“He will go with what he thinks is right and he’d be better learning from his mistakes. I think he will learn a lot from his experience at Sunderland.
“He’ll want to get back on the horse though and he’s got a good team behind him. I think with the right things in place Jack Ross would be a really good manager for Hearts or Hibs.”