Sunderland have confirmed the appointment of Jack Ross as manager, with the 41-year old leaving St Mirren for the Stadium of Light.

Ross has signed a two-year deal with the English side, who were relegated to League One this season.

The team's decline has brought sweeping change at the club with new ownership and the departure of Chris Coleman and Ross has been picked as the man to lead a revival after his work at St Mirren.

The former Alloa boss masterminded a remarkable turnaround in Paisley that saw St Mirren go from relegation trouble to surprise Championship winners in the space of 18 months.

Ross had been preparing for life in the Premiership but was targeted by Ipswich Town and Sunderland, with the latter reaching agreement on a move. His assistant manager James Fowler will also leave St Mirren.

He told St Mirren's website: "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to so many people involved at St Mirren FC for the experiences of the past 20 months.

"To my players and staff who have worked tirelessly to support the work we do and who have been relentless in their pursuit of success and their desire to drive the club forwards.

"To the chairman Gordon Scott and directors Alan Wardrop, Chris Stewart and David Nicol for their willingness and indeed patience to help meet my demands for excellence at the club, and to chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick and my guru Gavin Whyte for their incredible backing and unwavering faith in me.

"To the fantastic support I cannot thank you enough for sticking with me, backing us in our hour of need and then joining us on the terrific journey of the past season and a half. I am immensely proud that I have helped to give you your club back and I have always said that your unwavering passion for your club was there long before me and will continue long after my time.

"It has not been an easy decision to leave a club and a job which I loved but I have been offered an exciting career opportunity of which the challenge of I look forward to meeting.

"The days at Easter Road last May, and the Saturday's 21st and 28th April at our stadium and in the town will be memories I will always treasure and I wish all Buddies every future success."

Sunderland chairman Stewart Donald said: "We are absolutely delighted to have secured Jack as our new manager.

"Jack is excited to be a part of the future we are building here, and the fact he turned down lucrative offers from elsewhere, including clubs currently in a higher division than ourselves, is testament to his commitment and desire to succeed at this club and his belief in our vision for the future.

"He joins us following an excellent start to his managerial career, including a memorable 2017-18 campaign with St Mirren, and was deeply impressive throughout the recruitment process.

"We have acted swiftly and the hard work now continues in earnest as we look towards the ultimate goal of getting Sunderland AFC back to where it should be."

Ross said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to take charge of an incredible football club. If you look the history, the facilities and most important of all, the fanbase, you can see what this club can be.

"To be part of the team to help realise that potential is something that fills me with excitement.

"From the moment I spoke to Stewart and Charlie, their energy and enthusiasm was evident and I share in that. There's a lot of work to be done in re-shaping the squad to ensure that we hit the ground running in League One, and I can't wait to get started."

St Mirren will now begin the search for a successor, with Robbie Neilson, David Hopkirk and Jim Goodwin among the names being linked with the vacancy.