Revealed! The stats that led to Sunderland snapping up Jack Ross

Sunderland have confirmed Jack Ross as their new manager - and looking at the stats, it's no surprise.
Jack RossJack Ross
Jack Ross

To some the appointment might seem like a surprise, but the stats behind Ross' remarkable rise up the managerial ladder suggest otherwise.

This is a man who has won just shy of half the games he has ever managed and one who his current club - St Mirren - were desperate to keep.

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REACTION: Jack Ross speaks after being handed the Sunderland jobHis managerial career only began in December 2015 when he took over at Alloa Athletic and his rise has been rapid, especially since he joined his current club in October 2016.

We've crunched the numbers on Ross' career to see why Sunderland brought the 41-year-old to the Stadium of Light:

He's a winner

There haven't been many of these on Wearside in recent years, but if there's one thing that quickly becomes clear from Ross' stats, it's that he's a winner.

Through his managerial spells at Alloa and St Mirren, Ross has won 48.25% of the games he has ever managed.

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READ: Jack Ross - the inside track on Sunderland's new managerIn the 35 games he took charge of at Alloa, the Scot oversaw 14 victories which gave him a win percentage of 38.24%.

And that percentage only improved at the Buddies with Ross winning 52.5% of his outings at St Mirren.

His teams are defensively sound and lethal going forward

St Mirren netted 63 goals in just 36 games last season - the best in the Scottish Championship.

Indeed, even when he inherited a struggling team in Paisley midway through the 2016/17 campaign he still saw his side score 41 in 28 games as he engineered a big turnaround.

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And indeed, Ross' teams have have a reputation for playing positive football and getting on the front foot.

In 2017/18, 19 of the 37 players Ross used found the back of the net - showing that he'll expect goals to come from all areas of the pitch.

But attacking football isn't at the sacrifice of defensive stability.

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While St Mirren's record wasn't the best in the league, they conceded an average of just one goal a game.

That was accompanied by 14 clean sheets, meaning Ross' sides tend to be effective at both ends of the field.

He values performances on home soil

Key to any promotion push is impressive form on home soil - and this was certainly the case for Ross' side last season.

Of the 18 league games St Mirren played at the Paisley 2021 Stadium, they dropped points in just four as they picked up a staggering 14 home wins.

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They conceded just twelve goals on their own patch and this home form was the catalyst for the Buddies' title win.

This is in stark contrast to Sunderland's dismal home form last season, with the Black Cats picking up just three home wins throughout the campaign.