St Mirren fans thoughts of Jack Ross

[hallamblue]

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St Mirren Supporters’ Thoughts on Jack Ross… 21:11 - May 10 with 2294 views HarryfromBath


Taken from HarryfromBath post on TWTD:


I thought it might be helpful to gather the thoughts of St Mirren supporters on their manager Jack Ross in the light of Phil’s story today confirming that we had asked the Buddies for permission to discuss our manager vacancy with him.

Ross left Alloa Athletic to take charge in of the Paisley-based club October 2016 with the side bottom of the Scottish Championship table with just four points from their first eight games. After steering them to a seventh-place finish last season, they won this year’s league title by a 12-point margin.

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“What we are seeing now is what we having been hoping to see for years. Guys are playing well as a cohesive team under the guidance of a manager who is very good at his job and passionate about our team. The atmosphere at our stadium is now much better and there far more positivity.”

There is an understandably euphoric mood in the club right now. “I used to look forward to away games because the support was far more behind our team, but now we have that at home. I even have work colleagues who support other teams saying how great our team is.”

“We all need to be eternally grateful to Jack Ross and [assistant manager] Jack Fowler for giving us a season which must rank as one of our best ever in terms of sustained excitement and satisfaction as Saints fans”, “I truly believe we have an absolute diamond of a manager on our hands here.”

“The short time he has been with the club have been some of the most enjoyable and memorable times I have had as a Buddie. He likes the club, gets on well with the Chairman, likes the fans and in return is liked by the massive majority of us and has a group of players who respect him massively.”

“I can’t remember liking a manager as much as Jack, the guy is brilliant”, “It's great to hear the passion he and a number of the players have for the club. It's not a forced thing. it's a genuine affection for our club. I love listening to him chat about us”, “Manager of the fecking Century!”

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“This is going to be a long haul for Jack Ross”, “He inherited the poorest squad in a generation.” Turning the clock back to when he arrived, there is wide agreement that the playing side of things was in some chaos. He had no honeymoon period, losing his first six league games in charge.

Despite the poor results, fans could still see what he was trying to achieve. “There is a deep-rooted problem within the playing staff. Or another way to say it is an unbalanced squad which Jack Ross inherited that. Mary f**kin Poppins could not wave her magic wand to fix this sorry state.”

“You could see the level of performance improving, even though it as worrying as it was that we were not getting any points. The players were growing in confidence and it was evident that Jack was working hard to introduce his methods.”

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“Before the transfer window closed - 13 points from 22 games. After the transfer window closed - 26 points from 14 games. Jack did an incredible, incredible job to rebuild a team mid-season, get the new boys to gel, get the fans and team united and, ultimately, keep us up!”

“This has been one hell of a window.” Ross moved swiftly and ruthlessly to overhaul the squad in his first transfer window in January 2017. There were no fewer than 10 arrivals and 11 departures, but fans in hindsight believe that much of the success which followed stemmed from this overhaul.

“The January signings stepped up and took the pressure off the younger players. Performances have transformed since he had a chance to complete his January transfer dealings. When was the last time we brought in so many players and they all worked? Not one has been poor when selected.”

“You saw the problems we had, and Jack had to work in what is usually a very difficult window to change things around. But change things around he did and brought in some needed cash. The squad on paper looked far stronger, more balanced and deeper than it had two weeks previously.”

“He was frustrated at the attitude of most of the players when he arrived at the club. They weren't interested on high intensity training and he couldn't wait to get rid of them. My observation was that at that time something was rotten about the club culture.”

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“Ross strikes me as man of substance. He is clearly analytical in his approach, but there is a thread of pragmatism running through that and he has genuine passion”, “He believes in what he is saying and doesn’t offer clichés. One thing I like is that he never bangs on about budgets unlike predecessors.”

He has a hard-working and pragmatic management style. “Ross identified the areas we needed to strengthen and did a fine job bringing in the correct personnel”, “He trusts his players and if they adapt to his ethos he will back them to the hilt. If you don't like his methods you're out the door.”

“Articulate, driven, confident and focused” “There's a controlled passion in there, and you can see that this is a man who wants to succeed”, “I particularly like the fact that he is prepared to question his methods continuously”, “He doesn't seem the sort of guy that would walk away.”

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“I like and admire the Jack Ross energy and high press set up”, “Jack appears to favour a playing style whereby strikers who thrive on route-one style balls into the box are not part of the plan. He wants players who move the ball about and create goals from the 18-yard area, not the six-yard area.”

“If you like your teams to shell it up to a big guy up front and then playing for scraps, then Jack is not your man”, “Results over the season have been excellent and those have almost invariably come via our busy passing and movement”, “Honest and attractive football using width and pace, hallelujah.”

“We are not a physical team.” St Mirren’s success has come from pass-and-move brand of football using a 4-2-3-1 shape and keeping more possession. Fans have felt that he is not wedded to this philosophy and that he would be prepared to alter it in the more demanding Scottish top flight.

“Jack’s refusal to be tied down to a ‘philosophy’ takes pressure off him and makes it easier to change the approach if needed. Clearly his preference is for his teams to get the ball forward quickly and to make the most of the time spent in the final third of the pitch.”

“The big problem as everyone can see is Plan B. Jack is a ‘Do Plan A’ better type guy who believes in his wee players. On some occasions Jack has shown how our wee team can destroy bigger stronger teams and give them a good thumping but if that team also has any kind of ability, we can't cope.”

“Teams like Livingston and Dundee United used physical, psychological and rule bending tactics to stop us playing. This lack of plan B and the consistent push of passes on the ground makes it harder for us to score. Other teams now know that we don't do high balls apart from set-pieces.”

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“It's taken a bit longer than I had thought but we are now seeing some great signs on the park and finally getting a bounce”, “We are playing as a team and some of the new signings are starting to really look the part”, “The belief and positivity amongst the squad is apparent for all to see.”

Although it took several months for the team to click, St Mirren fans by last summer could see the team starting to blossom. “The form of established stars has improved beyond compare since the new squad has been in place”, “We possibly have had the best midfield in the league since January.”

In August, many sensed how well this season would play out. “To finish seventh albeit on goal difference is stunning, but it’s the way we did it, the style, the goals, and the fact that he has got 1500 fans back when we were not chasing glory but relative survival. Basically, what a guy!”

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Lee Mair played alongside Jack Ross and he discussed his leadership on the pitch in one interview which St Mirren fans picked up: “I know Jack well. I played alongside him at St Mirren and you could tell he was a leader. He commanded respect amongst the boys and always gave 100 percent…

“You tend to find with every manager there will be one or two who are saying quietly away from training, 'he’s rubbish', or 'he’s no good' but with Jack, I haven’t heard one. Honestly.

“The way you can tell is that even boys he has dropped are still saying good things about him. He has that respect. He lets them go and express themselves and understands they will make mistakes.

This was echoed by the recollections of one St Mirren fan: “Jack Ross was the guy all those years ago who geed the team up in our do-or-die battle against Falkirk and we utterly destroyed them…

“He took that match completely by the scruff of the neck but more importantly in this case, he made sure that the match was won in the dressing room before it by saying the right things to the right people about what former team mates in the opposing dressing room were saying to him all week.

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“I hope Jack stays with Saints but I'm sure he'd be a great appointment for Ipswich”, “This approach is definitely more worrying than the Dundee or Barnsley ones.” Ross has also been linked with both of these clubs in his time at St Mirren.

“Jack restored pride, passion and pleasure to our team”, “He has been a great find but it scares me to think what could happen if he goes”, “I'm praying that it won't come to that but Ipswich are a big club, much bigger than Barnsley, I'm not surprised he wants to go and hear what they have to say.”

“Let's face it if it's not Ipswich it will be another club next week and so on. It looks pretty inevitable to me he won't be here come the first game of the new season.”

For many St Mirren fans, the risks involved revolve around Ross’s relative lack of experience, the step up in scale and pressure from a club with average home gates of 5,000 and the perceived hit-and-miss track record of lower-league Scottish managers who have switched to the Championship.

“Ipswich could provide Jack with a fantastic platform to further his ambitions or they could ruin them like so many Scottish managers have had them ruined by going down South. The money will be ridiculous in comparison, I would imagine, and that surely is a massive factor.”

“I wouldn’t imagine it’s a done deal by any means as Jack, good as he is, would represent a gamble by Ipswich and hopefully they’ll look for more experience for their next manager”, “He would go with our best wishes, but in all honestly I'm sure we would rather that he didn't.”

[arana peligrosa]

If the Paisley team value him so highly why allow the opportunity to leave. Seems done a commendable job and could produce greater achievements there, (however) all that hard work could be jeopardized if a replacement takes them back to where they were.

Said it before (he) can have all the plaudits and recognition they allow but the move from that level to one of the Championship seems inappropriate for a switch of that nature.

"Articulate, driven, confident and focused" : so were Beethoven and Ted Bundy, but they never received a consideration for the vacancy. Bottom line too many names in focus, the club requires a shortlist that you can believe in.

[marko69]

As said Saint, It’s been done before complete with English Championship promotion via the extremely difficult play-off system.

But your opening sentence is bang on with what all my Hibs pals are saying....... try the SPL first. They’re in a decent financial state with big possibilities of being an SPL club for years to come. Finish top 6 next season then think about England. Might even get something like the Burnley job when Sean Dyche gets the bigger job he deserves.

[Shed on tour]

If he is offered the job he will no doubt have a big decision to make.

He could stay at St Mirren and have ago at the SPL next season although if they struggle his stock could fall dramatically and would the opportunity to manage a club south of the border at Championship level be available again? On the other hand it is a step up if he decides to come down to England at this time and the question is is it too soon for him?

Anyhow, he has to be offered the post first and I'm still not convinced he is Evans first choice.

[marko69]

He was on the panel of HT analysts for the Livi Dundee Utd play off semi final last night....... I missed first 5 minutes of the programme....., and unless he said something then, the subject of him moving away wasn’t mentioned.

He needs to have confidence in his own ability. I would really hope that the “if I fail witn St Mirren next season” thoughts are NOT present in his head. Because if they are, then you really don’t want him at ITFC.

That was the difference with Alex Neil..... properly confident in his actions and his verbals. I have a buddy (no St Mirren pun intended) who said, quote, “No idea why those Norwich c*nts are whingin about Neil. He’ll do a job for them.” And he did. And subsequently very unlucky @ a fairly mediocre PNE side.

There is no doubt Jack has done a great job at St Mirren. My only issue is this...... yes, they were good....... BUT......, Dundee United, Inverness & Falkirk were proper sh!t. That must come into the “12 points clear” equation.

[Shed on tour]

He was on the panel of HT analysts for the Livi Dundee Utd play off semi final last night....... I missed first 5 minutes of the programme....., and unless he said something then, the subject of him moving away wasn’t mentioned.

He needs to have confidence in his own ability. I would really hope that the “if I fail witn St Mirren next season” thoughts are NOT present in his head. Because if they are, then you really don’t want him at ITFC.

That was the difference with Alex Neil..... properly confident in his actions and his verbals. I have a buddy (no St Mirren pun intended) who said, quote, “No idea why those Norwich c*nts are whingin about Neil. He’ll do a job for them.” And he did. And subsequently very unlucky @ a fairly mediocre PNE side.

There is no doubt Jack has done a great job at St Mirren. My only issue is this...... yes, they were good....... BUT......, Dundee United, Inverness & Falkirk were proper sh!t. That must come into the “12 points clear” equation.

The subject regarding the Ipswich job was mentioned.
As expected he didn't really give anything away and only said if he was offered the job he would weigh up whether the move would be best for him at this time in his career.
That C*** Sutton mentioned something about him coming to the 2nd best team in East Anglia.

[marko69]

Bloody hell. I missed a lot!

There won’t be true-er statement uttered on these pages today than “That C*** Sutton.”

[herforder]

‘Going to try something different, accepting that it carries a risk’. ME’s words - more or less - during his interview. Is Ross what he meant? Or Hurst? Or something different again!
Either could prove to be inspired appointments. - but it’s a two way street. I think Ross has actually spoken to ME, and a second interview is due next week. Either might decide against wanting the job; but we don’t know what ME’s shortlist is, or who he’s already ruled out.

Don’t know if anyone caught the Charlton v Shrews play off 1st leg. Thought Hurst set his team up well, and they worked their bolloc*ks off. Spoke well, and had a quiet but confident air about him. Was trying to imagine him on our touch line, and speaking to the media after stuffing the budgies! It could happen yet!

If he were to come to us, hope he brings the lad (Nolan?) who scored the winner against Charlton. His goal was a ‘worldie’, and he looked a very good player. Second leg pm Monday, on Sky.

[Bluemike]

I thought the same Herforder, was very impressed again with Shrewsbury and Hurst and Nolan was indeed impressive, I am still really keen on him coming here, I am impressed with his persona and the way he conducts himself, not to mention his style of football, still definitely my first choice

[herforder]

I thought the same Herforder, was very impressed again with Shrewsbury and Hurst and Nolan was indeed impressive, I am still really keen on him coming here, I am impressed with his persona and the way he conducts himself, not to mention his style of football, still definitely my first choice

Mine too. Just hope ME’s not left with trying to decide from the ‘best of the rest’.

[Ricco]

No one has yet mentioned that Ross has an MA Honours degree in Economics, could come in handy considering our 'budget'!

Might perhaps be worth mentioning that Ross has spent his whole life in Scotland, the only time he strayed south of the border (and only just) to Hartlepool, he returned within the year with homesickness. He may be a different man now, with a different family situation, but if he's to take on a big new job and a crucial jump up in his career, he needs full commitment, confidence and to have no distractions or thoughts elsewhere.

I like the sound of both of the favourites, but I hope Evans doesn't hesitate, if he waits for Hurst and misses out on Ross and then Shrewsbury go up and Hurst wants to stay, we'll probably end up with someone like Pardew, and quite frankly I'd rather contract a venereal disease.

[ashfordblue]

well Ian Holloway is available, once said he would crawl on his hands and knees up the A12 to be Ipswich's manager, then there's Sam Allardyce about to be come vacant If Shrewsbury happen to win the final against Rotherham or Scunthorpe, I cant see Hurst coming here, trouble is as someone on here mentioned, if ME leaves it too late, all the best Peas will go to Farrows, and we will land up with some cast off again.

[Bluemike]

Just loving the positivity

[charlton837]

well Ian Holloway is available, once said he would crawl on his hands and knees up the A12 to be Ipswich's manager, then there's Sam Allardyce about to be come vacant If Shrewsbury happen to win the final against Rotherham or Scunthorpe, I cant see Hurst coming here, trouble is as someone on here mentioned, if ME leaves it too late, all the best Peas will go to Farrows, and we will land up with some cast off again.

to be fair is ME not doing exactly the right thing at the moment? I think he is. I don't think he is purposely waiting and waiting, hes probably had one eye on Hurst, but if it came to it and we had to make a decision before he "maybe" becomes available then im sure ME will make that decision. To me it sounds like its going to be Ross or Hurst, im guessing Ross because theres always the chance of missing out on him then leaving it late to try and get Hurst and miss out on both.

I don't think ME will risk that, he may well be just putting feelers out on Hurst to see if he would be interested in ITFC, even if Shrwsbury got promoted.

[arana peligrosa]

If you took the time to check out Ross's managerial record with his two employers the findings aren't all that encouraging. Don't get me wrong, seems a plausible candidate with some words of merit coming his way but one last time, if the statistics from lower Scots league indicate, the jump to English championship level poses a considerable risk.

i.e. Alloa

Played 31 Wins 10 Draw 8 Losses 13 Win Percentage 32 %

St Mirren

Played 14 Wins Draw 8 Losses 13 Win Percentage 40 %

Total stats

Played 66 Wins 24 Draw 16 Losses 26 Win Percentage 36 %

[Ricco]

I don't know where you get your stats from, but I have it as...

Alloa

Played 34 Won 13 Drew 8 Lost 13 ......... Win %age 38.24

St Mirren

Played 80 Won 42 Drew 13 Lost 25 ......... Win %age 52.50

Overall

Played 114 Won 55 Drew 21 Lost 38 ......... Win %age 48.24

It's worth noting that he picked up St Mirren in a dire situation and therefore had a run of bad results before he could start to turn the tide, at the end of the next season he has them top by 12pts. He also left Alloa while they were in 2nd place, so was looking to have a similar thing going on there. I imagine Marko would be best placed here to comment on how Ross is regarded north of the border, and he seems excited by the prospect.

I wouldn't put any negatives on his achievements, my main concern for Ross would be whether he is a strong enough character and confident enough to take on a big job at a team far from his area of comfort, as far as I can see he has never lived or worked outside of the Edinburgh - Glasgow corridor, other than a short unsuccessful stint at Hartlepool where he returned home citing homesickness. It's something generally on reserved for players, but he's only 41 and as I've said before, needs no distractions.

[Tangfastic]

If you took the time to check out Ross's managerial record with his two employers the findings aren't all that encouraging. Don't get me wrong, seems a plausible candidate with some words of merit coming his way but one last time, if the statistics from lower Scots league indicate, the jump to English championship level poses a considerable risk.

i.e. Alloa

Played 31 Wins 10 Draw 8 Losses 13 Win Percentage 32 %

St Mirren

Played 14 Wins Draw 8 Losses 13 Win Percentage 40 %

Total stats


Played 66 Wins 24 Draw 16 Losses 26 Win Percentage 36 %

SJ...
Have a further review of your research. Just see where the teams were when Jack Ross took over. Last season he took over a hopeless side bottom of the league and saved them... and then turned them into a championship winning side. Stats without the real context don’t mean much.

[marko69]

Those St Mirren stats are pretty impressive.

[Tangfastic]

Just checked wiki stats for Jack Ross, as I couldn’t believe he has only led SM for 35 games.

For SM, 42 wins out of 80 games. Win Percentage 52 %.

38 % win ratio for Alloa.

Not sure if he could have got 80 games under his belt at SM during a season and a half.... but either way ... it’s pretty impressive, especially as he’s taken over struggling sides.

[Charnwood]

Raw stats on their own can be very misleading and need to be looked at as part of a bigger picture.

However you look at it Jack Ross is a very credible candidate.

[herforder]

Awarded Ladbroke’s C’ship Manager of the Year - a well deserved accolade, given his achievement. Says that the two Clubs have been in touch, but remains focussed on his current job. No mention of having personally spoken with ME, or of any future meeting - but that’s no doubt football diplomacy at work!

[Bluemike]

I wouldnt bet against ME and Hurst having already had a "chat" either, this is the corrupt world of Football after all.

[Ricco]

I wouldnt bet against ME and Hurst having already had a "chat" either, this is the corrupt world of Football after all.

No, I'm sure he's at least asked Hurst to rule himself out if he's not interested. If Evans is going to take the risk of messing Ross around and asking him to wait, he'd definitely have had good confirmation from Hurst that he's interested first (or at least I'd hope), if he doesn't get that, then snap Ross' hand off and lets move on, not worth missing out on Ross unless 95% sure Hurst will sign.

[Tangfastic]

I wouldnt bet against ME and Hurst having already had a "chat" either, this is the corrupt world of Football after all.

No, I'm sure he's at least asked Hurst to rule himself out if he's not interested. If Evans is going to take the risk of messing Ross around and asking him to wait, he'd definitely have had good confirmation from Hurst that he's interested first (or at least I'd hope), if he doesn't get that, then snap Ross' hand off and lets move on, not worth missing out on Ross unless 95% sure Hurst will sign.

Not sure how it works between clubs in terms of communication, but that seems reasonable to ask a manager if he can rule himself out. I think a lot of it depends on the relationship between manager/ owner ( “we won’t stand in your way” ) and how we go about it ie respectfully.

It’s a bit tricky if you want to play it correctly and risk losing another candidate by faffing around.

From Towns position, maybe they should put the ball in Hursts court and expect some kind of interest from him. Christ, he’s been favourite for a while. If you want a job that badly.... you would make some contact and seeing Ross now getting serious interest could force his hand.

It’s actually good to have two strong candidates, but there’s always a risk of losing them both... and ending up with Sherwood.

[charlton837]

whats amazing is that I think everyone is sold on the idea of Hurst or Ross, I cant see many being disappointed if either are appointed. Given how divided this club has been for a long time its really nice to see everyone on the same page.

Im with everyone else on this, ive tried to do a bit of research into Ross, whilst ive never seen his St Mirren team play I like almost everything I hear about him, as I do with Hurst. It surely has to be between the 2 of them if they are interested. Ross in the driving seat because hes readily available now, but lets get one of them over the line.

Exciting times moving into next season, at least to start with which will make a nice change

[Tangfastic]

whats amazing is that I think everyone is sold on the idea of Hurst or Ross, I cant see many being disappointed if either are appointed. Given how divided this club has been for a long time its really nice to see everyone on the same page.

Im with everyone else on this, ive tried to do a bit of research into Ross, whilst ive never seen his St Mirren team play I like almost everything I hear about him, as I do with Hurst. It surely has to be between the 2 of them if they are interested. Ross in the driving seat because hes readily available now, but lets get one of them over the line.

Exciting times moving into next season, at least to start with which will make a nice change

Agreed... and let’s not forget the unifying effect McClaren, Pardew, Sherwood, etc being put into the mix has. Thanks guys. I’ve always found the best way to look handsome is to stand next to the ugliest b*stard.

Mind you.... there’s still some who want the Burley / Butcher combo.

Happy for us to go with either Hurst or Ross.... both could succeed or fail, but only time will tell.

[RRanger]

I cannot understand people shouting for Burley/Butcher. Personally I think Butcher is exactly the WRONG sort of candidate as Manager/Assistant Manager of our Club and as for GB, well, we've had the best from him. You have to wonder why he hasn't been managing for some time now.

[Bluemike]

Absolutely spot on Ranger, Butcher would be a disaster and Burleys yesterdays man

[hallamblue]

I just hope we don’t miss out on Ross AND Hurst by holding on. Either we want them if we don’t. We’re not the only Club looking for a decent manager!