The latest headlines from Sunderland as ex-manager Jack Ross is shortlisted for a new role.
Former Sunderland manager Jack Ross has been shortlisted to become the new chief football officer of the Scottish Football Association, according to reports.
Ross managed the Black Cats from May 2018 until October 2019, coming in after the club had suffered consecutive relegations to League One. The Scottish coach guided Sunderland to fifth in his first season, reaching the play-off final, where they lost 2-1 to Charlton Athletic. SAFC also lost the EFL Trophy final that season on penalties to Portsmouth, following a 2-2 draw at Wembley.
The former defender was sacked early into the 2019/20 campaign with Sunderland sitting sixth in League One, and they would eventually slump to eighth before finally earning promotion a year later.
Since leaving the Stadium of Light, Ross has managed Hibernian and Dundee United - reaching a Scottish Cup final with the former - while he currently serves as Newcastle United's head of football strategy. As reported by the Daily Record, 49-year-old Ross is one of the ‘leading candidates’ to replace Andy Gould, who left the SFA for a major role at FIFA. Whether or not Ross is open to leaving his job at St. James’ Park remains to be seen.
Former SAFC goalkeeper Mignolet announces retirement
Former Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has announced he will retire at the end of the current season. Mignolet played 101 times for the Black Cats between 2010 and 2013, following his arrival from Sint-Truiden, keeping 33 clean sheets and helping Sunderland finish as high as 10th in the Premier League before moving on to Liverpool.
At Anfield, the Belgian made another 204 appearances and picked up a Champions League winners’ medal, as well as runner-up medals in the same competition, EFL Cup and Europa League. Now 38, Mignolet has been playing for Club Brugge in his native Belgium for the last seven years, helping them win four Pro League titles and three domestic cups along the way.
However, this campaign will be his last, with the 35-time international announcing on social media that he will retire in the summer. Club Brugge are second in the table as we head into the Championship Play-off, with 10 games remaining. Mignolet will look to help FCB win their 20th title, which would allow them to wear a second star above their badge, while only Anderlecht have more (34).
"The Champions' Play-Offs will be the final 10 matches of my active football career,” Mignolet wrote in a social media post (translated from Dutch).
“I am happy that I was able to return from my injury and put myself in a position to experience these final matches as a fit player and contribute on the pitch. “What I want to promise our supporters is simple: I don’t have full control over the final result, but my effort, willpower, and determination will be there every day until my very last moment at Club Brugge. That is how I have always been, and that is how I want to finish.
“This is not the moment for extensive thanks or emotional reflections. Not because they aren’t there—quite the opposite—but because the story isn’t finished yet. “There are ten important matches ahead of us with one clear goal: to become champions and grab that second star."
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