Black Cats boss has learned on the job

Since being appointed as Sunderland manager last summer, Ross has spent the last year learning on the job. He could have had all the experience in the world, but slipping into the manager’s seat at the Stadium of Light would still have been a huge eye-opener.

“A lot of things haven’t surprised me, but there’s been elements that have,” said the Black Cats boss, ahead of his side’s final game of the conventional League One season at Southend this afternoon. “I’ve felt as if I’ve learned all the time, which I enjoy.

“I suppose the biggest thing is if I was to leave this job tomorrow and hand the baton over to someone else, I would say the scrutiny of everything you do is probably the biggest thing, and the dissection of every decision you make. Every analysis is done in hindsight. I know that’s the same for every manager, but the intensity is so great here. That’s a bit different.”

They might be playing in League One, but thanks to their size and stature, Sunderland still command Premier League levels of scrutiny

Prior to managing on Wearside, Ross led Alloa Athletic and St Mirren, clubs where he could melt away into the background and keep himself to himself. That has proved impossible at Sunderland, with his every decision being picked apart by supporters and the media.

For the main, he has been praised for the rebuilding job he has overseen since replacing Chris Coleman last summer. However, with hopes of automatic promotion having disappeared at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night, he has also been the subject of some criticism.

Why do Sunderland struggle to hold on to a lead? Should his tactics and substitutions be more positive? How will he set his side up in the play-offs? They are all fair questions, but Ross has been surprised at the volume at which they have been asked.

“You talk about the scrutiny people like Pep Guardiola and the managers in Glasgow are under, where everything you do is under the microscope – well, it’s a bit like that here,” said Ross. “People spoke to me about working in this part of the world, and it’s very much like that.

“That’s replicated in some other footballing cities and areas, but not them all, and it’s not always a reflection of the level they’re playing at. I’m sure there’s clubs at a higher level than we are at the moment that get less scrutiny.

“It’s given me a clearer insight into the pressures the top managers are under because it’s like that here. I’ve said that to people when they’ve asked about the job.

“It’s been great for me to prove to myself I can handle it, but it’s been demanding, there’s no doubt about that. I think you have to be comfortable in your own skin and resilient enough to deal with that in a number of different ways because every manager who works at a club where there’s an intensity to the scrutiny will say it can be draining at times. The truth is you have to find the energy every single day to come into work and be the person that drives everything forward.

“I believed I could do that, but you don’t know until you’re in that position. Will I ever have a more challenging job than this? I don’t know. You never know because it’s probably right up there and I think all the managers who have sat in this chair, albeit some in different leagues, would say the same.”

While some managers question the value of formal qualifications like the Pro Licence, Ross has enjoyed his time studying for UEFA’s highest managerial and coaching award.

“The course has evolved quite a lot,” he said. “It was broadened out to coaches and now there’s a real variation in who is involved. On my course, for example, there was an analyst involved – a guy, Kevin Murphy, who is now at Hearts but was the head of Man City’s ladies junior academy. There’s a real mix so the breadth of content on the course needs to be wider.

“There are bits of the course that will fit for different people. But if you can take one small thing from it, I think it’s worthwhile.”