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Sunderland AFC will announce the appointment of Jack Ross as manager today, and joining him on his venture will be his assistant from St Mirren - James Fowler.
Fowler is the former manager of Queen of the South, and is a close personal friend of the soon-to-be Sunderland boss. The pair signed contract extensions with St Mirren last year and it’s believed that Fowler has been a key component in what has made Ross so successful in the early stages of his managerial career.
Jack Ross deal Sunderland now all agreed. No2 James Fowler also leaves St Mirren for Stadium of Light @scotsunsport
— Robert Grieve (@robert_grieve) May 25, 2018
Speaking of their relationship earlier this year in the Scottish Sun, Fowler said:
We knew each other while we were players, and then we both went into management.
We spoke after games when we faced each other. And after I left Queens I asked if I could go and see what Jack was doing at Alloa. I wasn’t desperate to jump straight back into management, but when Jack got the St Mirren job he asked me to come with him.
We seem to be good foils for each other and as long as Jack wants me to be his assistant I am more than happy to continue to doing it.
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And when it comes to decision making, Ross is most definitely the boss:
I am still learning from Jack every day. He is always learning too. He reads up on things and tries to do different sessions so that it is always interesting for the players. He is quite OCD and has his own little way of doing things.
We split groups in training and then we work together at other times. It is not like he stands back and lets someone else take training. He likes to be involved.
When it comes to picking teams and tactics we always discuss it together along with Allan McManus and we all have our say. We don’t always agree and if we have a difference of opinion Jack is the boss and he makes the final decision.
It’s understood that the announcement of Ross and Fowler’s appointment is forthcoming at some point today, with the pair signing a two year deal to become the first men in charge of the Stewart Donald era.