Jack Ross has described Dundee United’s record-breaking 9-0 defeat against Celtic as “humiliating and embarrassing” – but insists he will not walk away from the toiling Tangerines.
Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada both helped themselves to hat-tricks, while Jota, Josip Juranovic and Carl Starfelt also rippled the net.
United have now shipped 23 goals in four matches and are rooted to the foot of the table.
Anything Liverpool can do…
Celtic are on course for their biggest ever away win in the league 👀 pic.twitter.com/aXeDCNuW4C
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 28, 2022
“In terms of me describing it: it was humiliating and embarrassing, personally and professionally,” said a shell-shocked Ross.
“The players should feel the same way.
“We should never be beaten by that scoreline of football.
“We owe the supporters an apology because of the scoreline and the manner of the goals we conceded.
“Were we physical enough and competitive enough? No, we weren’t.
“We conceded goals that were akin to training-ground exercises against mannequins.”
‘I can understand any heat or speculation’
While seven matches would ordinarily be a short timeframe in which to judge any manager, these are increasingly extraordinary times on Tannadice Street.
However, Ross is determined to recover from a nightmare start to the campaign.
“My determination to put this right will remain consistent,” added Ross.
“When I talk about being humiliated and embarrassed, I want to fix that.
“You need to have faith in your managerial ability.
“I think people mistake how I am sometimes because I am quite calm. But that doesn’t hide the desire I have to be successful.”
Asked whether he believes he will be afforded time by the club’s hierarchy in the face of United’s worst league start since 2003/04, Ross added: “I suppose you would have to ask other people at the club that.
“I can only affect the bits I control, which is getting more from the players. How other people perceive it? I don’t know as yet.
“I can understand them not being happy, I have no issues with that. What the last few weeks have given us as a football club is miles short.”
Ross added: “It’s a period I have never experienced at all in football, so I can understand any heat or speculation.”
Stomach and heart?
With a testing away day against Livingston in the Premier Sports Cup up next, life doesn’t get much easier for United.
Resilience and physicality – not the Terrors’ forte this term – are requirements for any trip to West Lothian.
And Ross added: “I own a lot of responsibility and I’m very protective of my players. But you also can’t shy away from individual ownership. Players need to own their performances.
“You can protect and shield them but they need to find individually whether they have the stomach and the heart to put things right.”
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