Jack Ross insisted he remained determined to fix Dundee United’s problems after enduring the “humiliation” of a 9-0 defeat against Celtic at Tannadice.
Ross likened some of Celtic’s goals to training-ground routines against mannequins as United endured their heaviest home defeat and their biggest loss since a record 12-1 thrashing against Motherwell in 1954.
The thrashing continues a miserable start for Ross at Tannadice; his side have now lost five consecutive games and conceded 23 goals in the past four to leave them bottom of the Premiership.
The former Sunderland manager said: “It was humiliating and embarrassing for me, personally and professionally, because of the pride you have in doing your job properly. The players should feel the same way.
“We should never be beaten by that scoreline at any level and, for the fanbase of the football club, I know they’ll feel that way and the responsibility for that falls on my shoulders.
“We owe the supporters an apology because of the scoreline and the manner of the goals we conceded. And large aspects of the performance were not reflective of wearing a jersey in professional football.”
Ross said his “determination to put this right will remain consistent”, and added: “I’ve done this for a long time and worked in a consistent manner. So, when I talk about being humiliated and embarrassed, I want to fix that.
“You need to have faith in your managerial ability through previous experiences and the challenges I have overcome in my football and coaching career. It’s not in my character not to believe I can do it, and not to want to do it.
“Regardless of what club I’m at or what level I had the same burn to do well as a manager at Alloa as I do now. And because of the embarrassment and humiliation I feel right now then, absolutely, I want to put that right.”
Ross vowed to shield his players but asked them to question individually whether they have the “stomach and the heart” to put things right. The 46-year-old admitted he was “puzzled” by how bad things were but admitted his side were too passive.
“We conceded goals that were akin to training-ground exercises against mannequins,” he said.
Ange Postecoglou, Celtic’s manager, admitted his side had sought to take advantage of United’s vulnerability by starting strongly and keeping the pressure on.
Read More: Ross vows to fix Dundee United after ‘humiliation’ in record rout by Celtic |