JACK ROSS never got the chance to lounge around in his joggies for days feeling sorry for himself. Not was there scope for a quick unplanned holiday or the opportunity to pursue some of the things that had been on his “to-do” list for a while.
Most sacked football managers have the time to do all of that and more. Ross, though, was barely out of work long enough to even start to wonder how to fill his days.
Less than six weeks after being dismissed by Sunderland and the 43 year-old was being unveiled as the new manager of Hibernian, having also been pursued by city rivals Hearts. If there is ever a good time to be sacked, then Ross certainly chose it.
Having had little time to gather his thoughts following his departure from the Stadium of Light or in his first six weeks at Easter Road – just the nine games in that time – then the winter break belatedly offers him scope for a breather and some reflection.
READ MORE: John Hughes says Jack Ross was the best man for the Hibernian job...after him
Sunderland is a club that has chewed up and spat out an indecent number of managers in recent years with Ross simply the latest victim of a club perpetually in a state of chaos. Although naturally disappointed to have been let go after just 17 months, the former St Mirren manager was not sufficiently worn down to feel the need for an extended break.
“Given the intensity of the job down there it probably wouldn’t have done me any harm,” he admits. “But I felt very quickly after leaving Sunderland that I could go again. So I feel okay.
“I think when you get sacked normally it’s because you’re having a horrendous run. And in that situation you maybe need to take stock or have a breather in your mind and ponder all the rights and the wrongs of it.
“But we had only lost two out of 14 games so it wasn’t in this cycle of thinking, ‘Oh my God, I am under massive pressure here, I’m going to lose my job’.
“I felt we were in a different set of circumstances so I was okay. I didn’t feel damaged in any way. I felt alright about it so that might have helped me come back so quickly too.
“I am fortunate that having lost my job I spent such little time out. By the time I finished up at Sunderland and the time the process started to get the job here it was probably only three-and-a-half weeks which isn’t that much. It’s up for debate but I think ideally you always want to get back to work as quickly as you can.”
Ross had started to compile a list of things that he might have liked to have done with his spare time had Hibernian not intervened.
“I had a couple of things planned that I was going to do but obviously I had to shelve them,” he revealed.
“I was going to down to Norwich for a couple of days. Middlesbrough was one of my local teams so I went to see them play Fulham just to see Championship football.
“I was planning on taking in more games, a Liverpool one as well, to use the time properly. I wanted to be professional about it all.”
Sunderland won only twice more in 2019 after Ross’ exit, giving further ammunition to those who believe he was harshly treated by the League One side. But he is remarkably magnanimous about it all.
“I loved my job there,” he added. “It’s a brilliant club and there are so many good people there who I want to do well. So I don’t look and think, “oh, they’re not winning games now so that’s a vindication of me saying that I was doing okay”.
“I genuinely want the club to do well. I had a brilliant time there and it was only through an unusual set of circumstances that I lost my job.”
His sole focus now is on Hibs. And with a week in the south of Spain looming, there will finally be that chance for a bit of respite after an eventful 2019.
“The winter break was the main reason I wanted to take this job!” he joked. “Listen, it will be good. I was coming into such a busy schedule. We had nine games from me taking the job up until the winter break.
“So we’ve finally got a bit of time off. We’ve also not had as much time out on the grass as we’d have liked so that will give us a full week together as well. So I think the winter break is a good thing. I’ve missed out on it wherever I’ve been before so it will be nice to get that little breather as well.”
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