Former Hibs boss Jack Ross ready for 'right job' and management return

Former Hibs boss Jack Ross says he is ready for a return to football management - but only in the right circumstances.

Ross was sacked after two years at Easter Road last year despite leading Hibs to the Premier Sports Cup Final, and replaced by Shaun Maloney in December.

Frequently linked with a dugout return – the latest at former club Hartlepool United – Ross says the break has done him good but he is eager to get back into football if the right job comes about.

His name has also been touted for vacancies at Dundee and Queen's Park but the 45-year-old did not rule out a job abroad when speaking to the Sunderland Echo.

“I wanted a break after six or seven years of constant management. Quite intense jobs as well. I have had opportunities to go back but I have decided that they weren’t quite right.

“I want to get back now as soon as possible but you want to make sure it is the right one.

“Scotland, England or overseas? I think it is just making sure that it is the right one and hopefully that will come around soon.”

Ross watched as his former club Sunderland achieved play-off promotion to the Championship last month – a feat he too was close to achieving, but pipped by Charlton Athletic in the 2019 final before his move to Edinburgh.

Jack Ross is ready for another crack at management in the right circumstances. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

He paid tribute to Alex Neil and ex-Hibee defender Martin Canning, the current Wearside management team, adding: “I was delighted for Alex and Martin because I know them both.

“I was delighted for the club because I know how desperate everyone was to get back there.

“I’ve said often how much I enjoyed managing the club and how much I was desperate to try and achieve that promotion so yeah I was delighted to see the club do it."

Ross was in charge at Hibs for just over two years. He began his coaching career with Dumbarton, assisting Ian Murray before moving into a youth role at Hearts and taking on his first senior job at Alloa. Saving St Mirren from Championship relegation and subsequent Premiership promotion saw him move to the Black Cats in 2018.