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The aforementioned session starts in just over two hours but the next 75 minutes offer a fascinating insight into Ross, his footballing views, Cowdenbeath’s finances and even his own personal struggles. He doesn’t filter things, it’s simply not his style, and he is good company because of it. Cowdenbeath is his first management job in Scotland, although he was previously in charge at Norwegian clubs Sola and Egersund, plus TBFC Suduroy Royn and Vikingur in the Faroe Islands. He lives in Glasgow with his partner, Zoe, and has two Norwegian daughters plus a Scottish son.

Central Park has been an eye-opener since his appointment in November 2021. The Lowland League generally is far removed from the heights Ross touched as a player with Rangers and Scotland. Yet a combination of passion, belief and footballing intelligence mean he thrives in amongst the old concrete terracing and stock car racing track. Three wins in the last five games provide encouragement but, following last year’s relegation from League Two, 42-year-old Ross is only just getting started.

“We had zero employees and zero players at the end of May. I was the only employee,” he recalls. “I had to find 14/15 players because I had the League Cup starting. So there was a scattergun approach. You end up getting players who maybe aren’t at the level you think. You are scrambling to get a team because your budget has been cut after relegation. There was a lot of firefighting. Once we realised players weren’t up to it, we’ve been quite ruthless in moving them on. It’s been a bit of a carousel but it needed to happen.

“No football club in Britain will have gone through what Cowdenbeath has this past year. I’ve never had such demands on me. I’m going to the chairman [Donald Findlay] and saying: ‘Chairman, you’ve got nae employees and nae staff.’ He’s looking at me as if I’ve got two heids. ‘Chairman, you can’t build a wall every year and knock it all down.’ He says to me: ‘Ah, but we only give out one-year contracts.’

“Says who? We can control that. Now we give 18-month contracts. We put players on higher appearance money so that, if they’re injured, the club isn’t haemorrhaging money. Every penny is a prisoner. We have a main scout and other scouts who report to him. We have a filtration system so we are cherry-picking rather than just getting bodies in. We are hoping to get pre-contracts signed ahead of the summer and get more relationships with local clubs.

“Colin Nelson acts as our sporting director but he works for free. He loves the club. This is a football club of opportunity. We don’t pay much but you get a chance to work in a professional environment. Colin has been the difference for me. He goes and makes those ten phonecalls, speaks to clubs, understands how much money players are on. Colin was on the phone to Greg Shields and James McPake to get Sam Young from Dunfermline. Sam has been like a Rolls Royce.”

Players who agree to join Cowdenbeath will be challenged every day by Ross and his coaches: When to run, how to run, how to get into the penalty box. He is determined to set and maintain high standards, which meant signing and releasing players this season to avoid the Lowland League relegation zone. It seems to be working but plenty football has still to be played on the tight and bumpy Central Park pitch.

Mo Ross is gradually trying to overhaul and improve Cowdenbeath.

“The recent results are simply down to having better, more routined players,” says Ross. “So, when you explain a scenario to them, they have a football understanding and can execute it. People get neurotic because they see people scrutinising everything on Monday night TV with Jamie Carragher and all that. It’s just players. Players win you matches. I only heighten the chances of a player coming to a chance by putting him in certain scenarios. Whether they score or not is down to the player. When you play on Cowdenbeath’s pitch, that’s another lottery when the ball is bobbling to you.

“Now I have great staff. Colin Jack is as good a coach as you could have – dedicated, infatuated with detail and very capable on the grass. I have staff like Phil the kitman who work for free: Immaculate in his presentation of kit, collects balls and is generally a great guy. There’s one reason he does it – he loves Cowdenbeath FC! That stuff warms my heart.”

Ross prefers youthful zest over age and experience but recognises the latter is essential for any team. Ideally, he would limit his squad to a select handful of older players. “What typically comes with older players is a higher salary and/or tired legs. We got Aidan Gilmartin and Ewan Thomson in at 17 years old. These are kids but they are playing every week. At 17, you’re in an academy and everything is to feet, then you come up to Cowdenbeath and you’re up against a hairy-a**ed guy from Bo’ness. It’s a culture shock. We got a bit of stick, rightly so at the start of the season, but we have shown the fans there is a plan. The day I leave this football club, it will be in a better financial state with a better structure.”

He will move on one day, probably to a higher level. It is clear in conversation that he is ambitious and thoughtful on football. Cowdenbeath’s players are responding to his methods whilst, across in Norway, others who worked with Ross prosper. A text message [pictured] from Morten Bjørlo says his recent big move to Rosenborg wouldn't have been possible without his old boss. The midfielder was twice signed by Ross at Egersund and, now 27, finds himself in the big time earning a salary to match. His endeavour and attitude are what took him there.

Mo Ross had an encouraging text exchange with Norwegian midfielder Morten Bjørlo.

“People speak about footballers like they are a separate entity. They are employees, they are people,” he points out. “Are you a good person? Will you be at my training on time? Will you be an energy-giver or an energy-sapper. We focus on all that, then it’s easier to recruit. Football is about fitness, being a good team-mate, understanding your position and the adjacent positions. If I’m a right-back and can’t recognise that the winger ahead of me is inverted so I can go higher because the guy on the ball doesn’t have pressure and his body language is towards me, there’s no point. Those are four thoughts in an instant. I need to comprehend them all.

“Every single training day there are thoughts. ‘Why are you doing this? Here’s what should happen.’ You show them examples of what works and what doesn't. I only played at the level I played because I asked good questions of myself. I tried to constantly learn, take note and implement things. If I go forward too early and lose the ball, the other team counter-attacks. If I go too late I don’t get there. It's all about these wee nuances.”

You sense the attention to detail which he only gets to impart in three short bursts each week. The down time can be a challenge managing a part-time club. “That’s when I struggle. You never really switch off,” says Ross. “I’ve started writing about football, I go to games, play golf in better weather. My life is football and I’d prefer to be full-time. For the first time in my life I’m not in a rush. When I got to Motherwell [as youth coach in 2019] it was: ‘I want to coach the first team.’ Bang. Then it was: ‘When am I going to the next club?’ I’ve learned to just relax a bit. I’ve only got an hour and a half with the Cowdenbeath lads on a Tuesday and Thursday. Two thirds of that is made up of games, warm-ups and getting boys going. Actual coaching is about 40-50 minutes a week.”

While some Lowland League clubs train more often, Cowdenbeath’s work is gradually paying off as they try to avoid back-to-back relegations. The mere mention of that phrase sees Ross sit up and put down his post-dinner coffee cup. “Back-to-back relegation was never in my mind. Never,” he says. “We have one of the best defensive records in the Lowland League with boys who are being paid £75 a week. That’s because we improved our squad. We brought in Blackie [Andy Black] from East Kilbride, big Dan Watt, Sean Slaven, Jack Ruddy the goalkeeper. Players are the difference. I can’t stress it enough.

“Jurgen Klopp is the best example: God for five years at Liverpool, now he’s having a bad year. What’s changed? Players. If you get a manager’s job, it’s normally because somebody has failed. That means a third of the squad probably aren’t good enough, a third are overpaid and a third are happy. You’re going into a dog mess straight away and you need to galvanise. At the top level, you are only six weeks away from the sack.”

With that, he is up and off along the road to Cowdenbeath’s training. It may not quite be the top level but Mo Ross is only interested in setting the highest of standards to help rejuvenate the Fife club.

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