Jack Ross says he “appreciates” the words of support from Dundee United sporting director Tony Asghar — but is capable of shouldering the burden of leading the club through a challenging spell.
United have endured a miserable start to the season, shipping 15 goals in their last four fixtures and sitting joint-bottom of the Premiership alongside Kilmarnock.
An outlandish rumour that Ross had quit as Tangerines head coach even gained traction on social media on Monday.
It prompted Asghar, in an exclusive interview with Courier Sport, to shoot down the gossip and give his full backing to Ross.
“I’m quite forthright as a manager and I don’t ever look for excuses during difficult periods,” said Ross. “I appreciate the support but Tony (Asghar) knows that I’m broad-shouldered.
“My career experiences — as a player, a coach and a manager — have given me various challenges. I’ve not been handed anything. I don’t shy away from responsibility.
“It hurts me and I suffer. However, I am more than comfortable accepting all the responsibility to put things right.
“If you lose faith in yourself then that’s the day when you need to stop doing it.”
Asked whether he has been surprised by the scale of the scrutiny, given United have only played four league matches, Ross continued: “I think that’s just the way it is. If you offer up any sort of protest, then it’s seen as a sign of weakness.
“I don’t know what the average (football management) tenure is but, in early 2010s, it was around 14 months. I imagine that’s shorter, now.
“Is that fair? I’m obviously going to say no. But I think a lot of balanced people would agree.
“I’m calm because I have a consistency about how I go about my job. I’ve got more than 300 games as a manager and I’ve had relative success, with a win percentage that is really competitive.”
Scrutinised
Nevertheless, the search for a way to kick-start Dundee United’s faltering campaign remains a 24/7 pursuit for Ross.
“I listen to various high performance podcasts about how you are “there but not there”, even when you are with family or perceived to be doing something that isn’t your job,” continued Ross.
“You are thinking about it 24/7; that’s the nature of the beast.
“Paul Warne (Rotherham manager), in a BBC podcast, spoke about never really being in the moment. And that’s part and parcel of being in football management. There is so much intensity and scrutiny.
“I would never say my job is harder than any other person’s but there is a fairly unique aspect, in terms of being scrutinised and judged twice or three times a week.
“There aren’t many jobs where people are told all the time whether they are good or bad!
“But you go into a job like this with your eyes wide open. I’ve done it long enough to accept that.”
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