CHANGING the fortunes of Cowdenbeath will not happen overnight but new boss Maurice Ross has a plan in place to ensure safety is achieved this season.
The Blue Brazil announced the former Rangers defender and Scotland international as their new manager last Tuesday – after the Times went to print – and he took the team for two training sessions ahead of the club’s 1-0 loss to Kelty Hearts on Saturday.
Speaking to the Times on Thursday last week, ahead of the game, Ross expressed his gratitude to club chairman Donald Findlay for giving him the opportunity.
His initial goal for Cowdenbeath is to take them off the bottom of the League Two table and make certain it’s the league they’ll be playing in next season.
When asked what he would class as success between now and the season’s end, he stated: “Firstly, for the club to be safe. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but what I’m doing this year is looking to ensure safety. Secondly, I’m starting to work on principles that will follow on into next season so when I’m coming back in with the players when the league reconvenes, it won’t be a complete overhaul. We want to be able to hit the ground running rather than playing catch-up like we are now.”
Ross, 40, joins Cowdenbeath after resigning from his post as assistant manager of Notts County in May following a racist comment he uttered regarding Enzio Boldewijn. Ross made a public apology over the “clumsy, insensitive analogy” and has since attended courses to “educate himself”.
He is now hoping for a fresh start at Central Park having replaced Gary Bollan in the dugout, and believes that his predecessor has left him with a squad more than capable of climbing the division.
He is hoping to repay the faith shown in him by Donald Findlay QC.
“The chairman’s life is binary: he’s either winning a case or losing a case,” Ross said.
“More often or not, he wins. That’s what he wants to see in his management team and the football he watches every week. He’s a very proud man, and he’s very proud of his football club. It irritates him when they don’t win and it’s up to us – and I say ‘us’ – because we do need that support from the chairman, the supporters and the players to turn things around. We’re all in it together.”
Speaking on Ross’s appointment last Tuesday evening, Findlay had said: “I am delighted to confirm that I have tonight appointed Maurice Ross as our new manager. Maurice is a highly regarded young coach and will bring a new approach to the club.
“He is determined to be successful as a coach and is very ambitious. He is determined to take our club with him in an upwards direction. He is taking charge of training tonight, I am convinced that this is the new start we need.”
Joining the coaching staff in the dugout is Scott Paterson, who will serve as assistant manager.
Ross is confident that Paterson will prove to be a smart acquisition.
“Scott’s a thinker,” Ross said.
“He was brought up in Liverpool’s academy back in the day and is quite a purist in terms of his footballing beliefs, which mesh with mine. I think it’s going to work.”
