Jack Ross has hit out at the Sunderland fans who continue to criticise him despite leading the Black Cats to fourth in the League One table.
There really is no middle ground in the Jack Ross debate.
The Sunderland manager has cleared out the deadwood since taking over at the Stadium of Light in 2018, arresting the slide that followed successive relegations before putting together a strong, competitive squad which has reached two Wembley finals since the turn of the year.
But that only tells half the story.
Sunderland lost to Portsmouth on penalties in the Checkatrade Trophy final at the national stadium and, just two months later, the sleeping giants of English football were consigned to a second season of League One football thanks to a dramatic, last gasp Charlton Athletic winner in the play-off decider. That is two Wembley defeats since March.
Although Sunderland are fourth in the table as it stands, just two points off top spot, the critics are still shouting from the rooftops with Ross’s rather pragmatic approach coming under fire.
“One defeat in nine this season, six wins in the last seven. That’s rubbish,” Ross told the Chronicle, clearly irked by the ongoing condemnation.
“It’s tiresome and it’s part of the problem at this club. We win 3-1 away from home, and always want to improve on what we do, I just fail to see sometimes what will make people satisfied.
“To continue to be critical of any sort of performance and result is negative and is almost like an anchor stopping the club moving forward.
“Nobody should ever forget we’re in an absolute results driven business. It’s about winning football matches and gaining points, and to date we’ve done that reasonably well.”
That is all well and good but until Sunderland start to win convincingly, as opposed to relying on moments of magic from Aiden McGeady and Chris Maguire, Ross should get used to life in the firing line.
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