football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
coach and former player, who manages
Scottish League One
The Scottish League One, known as William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association football, foot ...
club
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, who currently compete in . They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilto ...
.
Rankin played as a
central midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, Inverness CT or just Inverness, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team competes in , the third tier of the Scottish Professional Footba ...
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
,
Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
English Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
but did not make any first team appearances. Whilst at the ''Red Devils'', he was loaned out to
Corinthians
The First Epistle to the Corinthians () is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in C ...
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and ...
, to gain experience before returning to Manchester United. However, his time there was a disaster, as he explained about how both players struggled for food whilst there:
Rankin also spoke about the poverty he had seen in his time in Brazil:
Rankin was released by Manchester United in June 2003. After unsuccessful trials with a number of
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
clubs Rankin signed for
Scottish First Division
The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship.
History
The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...
club Ross County in 2003 and played in 101 league matches for the
Dingwall
Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland.
Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...
club and scored 17 goals. Rankin also received two league ''Player of the Year'' awards.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, Inverness CT or just Inverness, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team competes in , the third tier of the Scottish Professional Footba ...
for a reported fee of £65,000 in 2006, making him one of several players to have played for both Highland clubs. Rankin played in 49 league matches and scored 9 goals for the Caley Jags that included a stunning last minute winner versus
Rangers
A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
on 27 December 2006.
Hibernian
In January 2008, Rankin moved to Hibernian for a fee of £110,000. Rankin scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win for Hibs against
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
on 7 December 2008. The goal was notable because it was scored from a yard in front of the centre circle, approximately 45 yards from the goal. The shot dipped and deceived the Celtic goalkeeper, Polish international
Artur Boruc
Artur Boruc (; born 20 February 1980) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Boruc began his career in the Polish third division with hometown club Pogoń Siedlce. He joined Ekstraklasa team Legia Warsaw in 1999 ...
. After the game, Rankin described the shot as a "squiggler".
Rankin was a candidate for the Hibs captaincy after Rob Jones left for
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The club was formed in ...
in the summer of 2009. New manager
John Hughes John Hughes may refer to:
Arts and Entertainment Literature
*John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet
*John Hughes (1790–1857), English author
*John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet
*John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...
decided to give the armband to
Chris Hogg
Christopher Francis Hogg (born 12 March 1985) is an English former association football, footballer. He is currently the Assistant Head Coach of EFL Championship club Norwich City F.C..
Hogg started his career with the York City F.C., York City ...
, however, with Ian Murray to serve as Hogg's vice captain. Rankin fell out of favour under
Colin Calderwood
Colin Calderwood (born 20 January 1965) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player.
As a player, he was a centre-back who played in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa and in the Football League for Mansfi ...
and was told in March 2011 that his contract would not be renewed. Rankin played in 100 league matches for the Hibees and scored 6 goals.
Dundee United
Rankin signed a two-year contract with
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
on 17 May 2011. He scored five goals for United as the team finished fourth in the
2011–12 Scottish Premier League
The 2011–12 Scottish Premier League was the fourteenth season of the Scottish Premier League, the highest division of Scottish football, since its inception in 1998. The season started on 23 July 2011 and ended on 13 May 2012.
A total of twe ...
season and qualified for the
2012–13 UEFA Europa League
The 2012–13 UEFA Europa League was the 42nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 4th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
The final was played at the Amsterdam Are ...
. In June 2012, Rankin agreed an extended contract with United. He was appointed chairman of
PFA Scotland
The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland (PFA Scotland) is the association for professional footballers in Scotland. It was known as the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association (SPFA), but that organisation was dissolved and repl ...
in February 2013, replacing Jack Ross. On 26 February 2014, Rankin agreed a two-year contract extension. On 4 May 2016 it was announced that he would be one of eight out-of-contract players leaving the club at the end of the season, having not been offered a new contract. Rankin played in 173 league matches for Dundee United and scored 12 goals.
Falkirk
On 22 July 2016, Rankin signed for
Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
, having spent time training with the club. Rankin left Falkirk on 5 January 2017 after the club agreed to terminate his contract. Rankin played in 13 league matches for the Bairns without scoring any goals.
Queen of the South
On 5 January 2017, Rankin joined Queen of the South on an 18-month contract, until the end of the 2017–18 season. Rankin was appointed Queens' club captain by recently appointed manager
Gary Naysmith
Gary Andrew Naysmith (born 16 November 1978) is a Scottish football coach and former player, who is the manager of Scottish League One side Stenhousemuir.
Naysmith, who played as a left-back or left-winger, started his senior career with Hea ...
before the league match at St Mirren on 7 January 2017, taking over from previous captain Chris Higgins.
In March 2017, Rankin was appointed as the Under-17s coach at Heart of Midlothian, which he combined with his playing duties at the Doonhamers. Rankin relinquished his position as chairman of
PFA Scotland
The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland (PFA Scotland) is the association for professional footballers in Scotland. It was known as the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association (SPFA), but that organisation was dissolved and repl ...
in February 2018 and he departed the
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...
club at the end of the 2017–18 season. Rankin played in 51 league matches for the Doonhamers and scored two goals.
Clyde
On 9 June 2018, Rankin signed a one-year contract with his local club Clyde.
He was nominated for
SPFL
The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As well ...
goal of the month for in successive months.
Rankin suffered a broken ankle in the penultimate league match of the season and missed the play-offs, but the club still won promotion to League One. At the
PFA Scotland
The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland (PFA Scotland) is the association for professional footballers in Scotland. It was known as the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association (SPFA), but that organisation was dissolved and repl ...
awards, he was shortlisted for
Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is held on b ...
and named in the
Team of the Year Team of the Year may refer to:
* BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award
* Canadian Press Team of the Year Award
*GPA Gaelic Team of the Year
* IRB International Sevens Team of the Year
* IRB International Team of the Year
* J.League Team of ...
for League Two.
During the 2018–19 season, Rankin scored nine goals in 39 appearances.
Towards the end of his playing career Rankin took a youth coaching position with Heart of Midlothian. He moved to
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, who currently compete in . They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilto ...
as assistant head coach in December 2021, and was promoted to the position of head coach in June 2022.
Scottish Challenge Cup
The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,2004–05
;Dundee United
*
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2013–14
*
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
Scottish League Two
The Scottish League Two, known as William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill League Two for sponsorship reasons, is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association football, foo ...
Victory Shield
The Victory Shield is an annual football (soccer), football tournament competed for by the under-16 teams of Scotland national under-16 football team, Scotland, Republic of Ireland national under-16 football team, Republic of Ireland, Northern Irel ...
Scottish First Division
The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship.
History
The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...
Player of the Month: November 2005, January 2006
*
Scottish First Division
The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship.
History
The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...
Young Player of the Month: December 2003
Managerial
Hamilton Academical
*
Scottish Challenge Cup
The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,2022–23
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC BBC Television, television, BBC Radio, radio and BBC Online, online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadc ...
, 26 March 2023
*
Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association footb ...
List of footballers in Scotland by number of league appearances
The following is a list of footballers who have made at least 500 domestic league appearances in Scottish league football. This includes the appearances and goals of players, in the Scottish Professional Football League, or its predecessor competi ...