NEW Hibernian head coach Ross Ross is adamant he did not consider any other club following his talks with the Easter Road outfit.
It was widely reported that the 43-year-old also sat down with representatives from Hearts, with the fierce Edinburgh rivals in the unprecedented position of searching for a new manager simultaneously.
Having been dismissed by Sunderland at the beginning of October, Ross – formerly under-20s boss at Tynecastle – was arguably the stand-out homegrown candidate for both roles.
And while remaining coy on whether he was formally interviewed for the post in Gorgie, he insists there was only one destination for him after his first conversation with the Hibs delegation of chairman Ron Gordon, chief executive Leeann Dempster and sporting director Graeme Mathie.
“I was in a position where I was out of work and two really big jobs became available at the same time in Scotland,” said Ross. “You can be associated sometimes, rightly or wrongly.
“But once I had the initial conversations with Hibs and things progressed from there, I was consistent and strong in my desire to come here.
“I just felt as if it was the right club for me to come back to Scotland to. Once things developed, it was really a case of me trying tho prove my worth to Hibs and get the nuts and bolts of everything agreed.
“I’ve always worked with the premise of being comfortable with the people you work with, and for. I felt that from the first discussions I had with Leeann [Dempster], Graeme [Mathie] and Ron [Gordon].
“From there, it progressed more formally and it was a rigorous process. It’s not easy to get the Hibs job!”
Meanwhile, Ross hopes to confirm his assistant manager – understood to be John Potter – on Tuesday after Hibs put the finishing touches to securing his release from Sunderland on Monday.
“I think that is an important first step for me,” he said of the impending appointment. “To have someone who will understand my processes and how I work. Then we will work with the people in situ and go from there.”
