Jack Ross: Hibs boss says football's major stakeholders deserved a louder voice

Jack Ross is a manager who welcomes the opinions of his players and staff, but he wishes that more people would take their views into consideration when making big decisions that affect the sport in this country.

Jack Ross believes that players deserve to be listened to. Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group)

The Hibs boss revealed that lockdown gave him time to reflect and plot improvements at the club, but was disappointed that, at that time, when discussing advancements in a wider context, players, managers and fans’ view were not given greater credence.

A quarter of the way through a league season that will see Hibs face up to their main Premiership rivals at least three times more, things could have been different if the powers that be had done as 80 per cent of players asked in a PFA Scotland survey conducted at the start of lockdown and taken the opportunity to shake-up the current league structure.

“The willingness to listen to opinions is important but there always has to be those who are tasked with making decisions,” said Ross. “I don't think you can avoid that and turn it into a decision by committee, you will still have people who are seen as leaders, the ones who make difficult decisions.

“But, the willingness to listen to all stakeholders in the game is something people have talked about for a long time, whether we have got that right or wrong I am not sure. During lockdown there were taskforces set up to look at different parts of the game and how we would return to playing. From a managers and coaches point of view, I am not sure they were part of the executive. Players, managers, coaches, supporters along with those that govern the game and run football clubs are all key parts of it.

"In terms of the size of the league in Scotland, the only thing I would say is in England the thing that's beneficial is the infrequency of which you play each other. I was part of a 24-team league at Sunderland and you play each other home and away. You can play, say Charlton, in the first game of the season and then not again until January, that helps in terms of the freshness of the opposition but probably poses you greater challenges as a coach or manager because there's less repetition of preparation.”

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