Former St Mirren boss Jack Ross will face many hurdles in his attempt to guide Sunderland out of League One.
Ross did very well at a lower level in taking the Buddies back to the Scottish top flight as Championship winners.
When a big opportunity like the job at the Stadium of Light comes along he had to take it.
The turnaround in St Mirren’s fortunes under Ross was fantastic as they were very much a club on the slide when he took over.
Ross, pictured, saved them from the threat of relegation to League One and then guided them to the Scottish Premiership.
After that he deserves a shot with a big club like Sunderland.
However, it will not be easy. Taking over the Black Cats is without doubt the biggest challenge of his career.
I wish Ross well but it will be a tough task to turn around a club that have suffered relegation in two successive seasons.
Other managers have looked at the situation at the Stadium of Light and have walked away from it.
Successful managers who have bossed at the very highest level such as former Wales manager Chris Coleman have failed to revitalise the club.
Ross is young, enthusiastic and clearly has the confidence in his own ability and has rightly grabbed this opportunity.
He will need the support of people at Sunderland if he is to turn the club around.
Hopefully Ross can be a success at the Stadium of Light and guide the club back up the divisions.
It is great to see a young Scottish manager appointed in a high-profile job. It would be even better if Ross is a success south of the border.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.