Brian Rice is the same now as he was ten years ago at Derby County says Steve Davies, as the forward reflected on the Accies pair’s spell with the Rams.
Davies joined Hamilton in January last year and was reunited with Rice once he was appointed boss just two weeks later. Davies spent a large part of his early career at Pride Park, staying at the club for four years between 2008-2012.
Davies had a decent spell at Derby County. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
There was a spell when Rice and Davies worked together there. Whilst the current Accies forward was progressing himself, Rice was working as a coach at the EFL club.
Reflecting on his relationship with Rice, Davies says the Hamilton boss hasn’t changed much since his Derby stint whilst showering him with praise.
“For the manager, he likes to look at the positives,” said Davies. “That’s why I think Brian is so good at what he does because he can recognise that we’re a young team.
“More so for the teenagers, I think it’s good for the manager to look at the positives. I think the longer you’ve been in the game, the more you realise that if you keep doing the right things, your luck will change.
Davies is full of praise for his former Derby County colleague. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
“He’s probably the main reason I came back this season. I like the way Brian works and I worked with him before at Derby. It’s something I was really keen to do. His philosophies are still the same.
“He’s top-notch. He hasn’t been in football for as long by not knowing what he’s doing. His coaching is brilliant and as a manager he’s still the same person I met ten years ago. He’s an enthusiastic guy who loves working in football.
“It’s infectious, he’s always smiling. He’s one of them characters you want to work hard for. Ten years ago I didn’t know what was going to happen, football is a small world. It’s nice to work with nice people like Brian who are so hard working.”