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Neew Hamilton assistant manager John Rankin has opened up on his decision to quit his role in Hearts’ Academy to move to Accies – and explained how a Hibs legend played a role in him eventually ending up at Accies.
Rankin was appointed as number two to Stuart Taylor last week, leaving his post as under-18s manager at Hearts, and he admitted it wasn’t the first job he’s been offered while he’s been working at Tynecastle.
However, after being told by John Hughes to stay in full-time football as long as possible, Rankin turned down chances to take up the reins as a manager at a part-time club before making the switch from Hearts to Hamilton and returning to first-team football.
“I was at Hearts for five years so that was a long time and I really enjoyed it, but having the opportunity to go into the senior game was one I couldn’t turn down,” Rankin told Lanarkshire Live.
“Being honest, I’ve been offered a few managerial roles before, but something John Hughes always said to me years ago – and it’s ironic actually that his team was the first we played on Saturday – if you can stay in the full-time game for as long as you can then stay in it.
“That stuck with me. There were a few part-time roles that were really appealing, but when I spoke to the club here and to Stuart, he told me the ambition that he had for the club, it was a no-brainer for me.
“I had been involved in youth football for a long time now, I really enjoyed it. You get to know the kids, you actually see them sometimes more than what you do your own, but it got to the stage where I missed results on a Saturday, I missed that feeling on a Saturday afternoon, and that was a big, big draw for me.”
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