Jack Ross has revealed that Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes offered his support after his sacking from Sunderland last October.
Ross was sacked after an indifferent start to his second season in charge on Wearside saw Sunderland sitting fifth in the League One table following a humbling defeat to Lincoln City.
But after taking a short time to recollect his thoughts, the promising young Scottish manager was quickly back to work, taking over at Hibernian.
And Ross has made a great start to the new season, with his Hibs side second in table after four wins and a draw, and able to go level on points with Rangers if they defeat Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon.
The game will see Ross will pit his managerial wit against the more experienced Dons boss. And Ross has revealed that McInnes has been a support crutch for him throughout his coaching career to date.
Ross revealed: "Derek is someone who’s been very good to me since I started managing.
“Back when I was Alloa manager, I had Scott McKenna on loan for a brief period. At St Mirren, I had Cammy Smith.
“We had a lot of conversations and he spent a long time on the phone to me after I lost my job at Sunderland because he went through a similar experience at Bristol City.
“The longer you’re at a place, maybe the success gets taken for granted. That might be the case for Derek at Aberdeen. I have the utmost respect for him – he’s done a terrific job.”
McInnes was able to draw on his own experiences of moving to England and coming up short before resurrecting his career back in Scotland, after his time at Bristol City.
McInnes also knows plenty about Sunderland, having come close to taking the reins at the Stadium of Light himself back in 2017 when he was the Black Cats' number one target to replace David Moyes. After talks between the two, McInnes ultimately decided to remain at Pittodrie.
Speaking on Ross, McInnes said: "When Jack was at Alloa, I always wanted to give him my players on loan because I felt they were being properly trained, coached and managed.
“When you lose your job you have to reflect properly. You can blame the world but there are loads of reasons why it doesn’t work out.
“You have to ask yourself what you’d have done differently so you’re ready for the next job.
“Jack inherited a club in Sunderland who had been through a lot of managers.
“Sometimes a club has to bottom out before it can come again, regardless of who’s in charge.
“But Jack quickly got the opportunity to go in at Hibs, which was perfect for him. As Aberdeen was for me.
“I was only out of work for seven weeks and I was ready to go again. There are similarities there.”
