Rothes chairman Iain Paul has paid tribute to the “fantastic” job done by manager Ross Jack after they parted company.
Jack was appointed by the Speysiders in September 2019, but his tenure at Mackessack Park is over after both parties agreed it was time for a change.
During his tenure, Jack led Rothes to the GPH Builders Merchants Highland League Cup in 2020 – the first time the Moray side won the competition – and the North of Scotland Cup a year later.
In the Breedon Highland League, he guided Rothes to a third-placed finish in the Covid-19 curtailed 2019-20 campaign and fifth place in season 2021-22.
Those were the second and third-highest league finishes in the Speysiders’ history.
Last term, Rothes finished ninth, and they are currently 10th in the table – with Jack’s last game being Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Wick Academy at Harmsworth Park.
Mackessack Park chief Paul said: “Ross has done a fantastic job, not just in terms of on the pitch, but also with the pandemic and the challenges that posed.
“During his time with the club, Ross has brought substantial success to Rothes.
“He helped the club improve and probably established us as having one of the best defences in the league.
“Ross helped raise the standards off the pitch. He’s always supported and appeared when we’ve had corporate groups in and held dinners and things like that.
“Ross has always been happy to assist in any way he can with that and it’s always been a pleasure to work with him.
“He’s been very professional, fair and honest throughout – we’ve always had that relationship and I’d hope that would continue.”
Why has Jack moved on?
Explaining why the decision was made to change manager, Paul added: “We’ve had some ongoing conversations about the challenges and difficulties we face.
“Within that we’ve reached a point where we felt it was maybe time for a change.
“Between us, we’ve reached a point where mutually we felt it was difficult to keep moving forward.
“We’re still a club that strives to be in the top six and challenging.
“We know Ross can deliver that because we’ve finished third and fifth in his tenure.
“It’s not a question of Ross not being able to do it – we’ve just felt we were slightly stuck where we are and needing a freshen up.”
Speysiders still looking up
Jack’s coaches Bobby Beckwith and Derek Thomson will take charge until a new manager is found.
Addressing the search for a new boss and what he’s looking for, Paul said: “In terms of the next manager there’s no plans yet.
“I believe it is a good opportunity for somebody aspiring to make their mark.
“Hopefully the right candidate can come along to take us to the level we want to be at.
“We’re still ambitious and we’re still looking develop and improve the team.
“We want to get back up the table and be in the mix for the top six and challenging for cups.
“Since our successes, we want to give ourselves more chances to make finals and get our hands on silverware.
“That’s not different to any other club and maybe for a couple of seasons under Ross we’ve over-performed.
“We’ve done exceptionally well for a club of our size and status, but we’re also of the mind that why can’t we mix it with teams that have been up at the top with for a number of years?
“Just because Rothes haven’t been there on a regular basis, it doesn’t mean we can’t consolidate and drive it on again.”
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