Former Sunderland manager lands shock new role at Newcastle United as young duo aim to impress
The latest news from Sunderland as the Black Cats look to continue an impressive run of form after the international break.
Former Sunderland manager Jack Ross has confirmed he has a new role with Wear-Tyne rivals Newcastle United.
The Scot spent just under 18 months in charge of the Black Cats as he looked to help the club bounce back from suffering relegation into League One following his appointment during the summer of 2018. What would become Ross’ first and only full season at the Stadium of Light ended in heartbreaking circumstances as Sunderland suffered an agonising play-off final defeat against Charlton Athletic that ended any thoughts of an immediate return to the Championship.
His departure was confirmed inside the first two months of the new season as the Black Cats sat in sixth place in the League One table and Ross went on to spend time in charge of Hibs and Dundee United before returning to the North East as Newcastle’s interim head of coach development in March last year. After taking up that role on a permanent basis months later, Ross has now moved into a key new position within the hierarchy at St James’s park.
Confirming his new role via LinkedIn, the former Black Cats boss said: “I am happy to share that I am starting a new position as Head of Strategic Technical Partnerships at Newcastle United Football Club”.
Black Cats prospect impresses on loan
Sunderland youngster Adam Richardson has been praised after impressing during a loan spell with Northern Premier League club Hebburn Town.
The academy goalkeeper has made three appearances since joining the Hornets last month as he helped Daniel Moore’s side to two league wins against Hyde United and Lancaster City before they suffered an FA Trophy exit at the hands of FC United of Manchester last weekend. The Hornets manager admitted he has been praised by the impact Richardson has made during his time on South Tyneside and revealed he is keen to speak to Sunderland about potentially extending his initial one-month loan.
He told The Echo: “The biggest thing has been his attitude and he’s completely embraced men’s football and how different it is to academy football. He’s enjoying himself and that’s the main thing you want to see from a young lad coming from the environment he has been in. He’s got stuck in, he’s a calming influence and he’s just very good at what he does. You can see why he’s at Sunderland because of the way he carries himself on and off the pitch. Hopefully we can try and keep him because it will give Kieran (Hunter, Hebburn goalkeeper) some extra time to fully recover from is a bit of a ligament injury. He’s enjoying himself, I think he wants to stay so we will hopefully be able to get something sorted with Sunderland and keep him in for the next month or two.”
Academy star can ‘thrive’ with Sunderland
Another Sunderland youngster has impressed in recent weeks after winger Tommy Watson became a regular feature of first-team squads since the start of the season.
After producing a number of eye-catching displays for the Black Cats Under-21s and during pre-season games at a senior level, the teenager has came off the bench in Sunderland’s last three Championship fixtures before returning to Under-21 action by scoring twice in a 6-0 win against Derby County earlier this week.
Speaking to the club’s media team after that win, he said: “Tonight, dropping back down to the 21s, I don’t think that I was at my best personally, but I still managed to create and get off loads of chances. It’s class to be honest. I’ve been waiting a long time for the opportunity. I’ve been on the fringes for quite some time, but the idea of working towards more first-team minutes is a real target."