Rice hopes for a call from old boot boy Dyche
Brian Rice hopes the lad who once cleaned his boots will eventually be asking to buy young players from him. The new Hamilton Accies’ boss has a long-standing friendship with Burnley manager Sean Dyche.
Although Dyche recruited 38-year-old Peter Crouch during the transfer window, Rice hopes Accies can develop the talent that will attract a Premiership team.
They’ve done it before with the likes of James Mcarthur and James Mccarthy. A call from Dyche will mean Rice is being successful in his first job as a head coach.
He said: “Sean Dyche used to clean my boots as he was my boot-boy at Forest.
“I love seeing him being interviewed because what you see is what you get with him. He’s a fantastic guy.
“I watched him at Watford when I had a job doing recruitment and oppositional analysis. I saw how meticulous he is as a manager.
“We don’t have the kind of resources he has at Burnley, but it doesn’t stop you trying to do things.
“I’m hoping Sean eventually wants players from us.
“I want to have young players good enough that Sean is on the phone to me.
“I’ll use everything I can to get the best players, but for a club like Hamilton there has to be a pathway for kids.
“This is a massive community club and we have to get the young boys through. If he’s 17 and good enough, he deserves his opportunity.
“They’re here for a reason – they’ve got something. I want them in the team.
“It won’t be full of them but I want them to push the older ones, give life to the older ones.
“And I want the experienced players to take the young lads under their wing, embrace them and coach them.
“It doesn’t always have to be me. I want to see a centre-half coaching a young kid alongside him.”
The 55-year-old says senior players helped him a lot during his early days. He went on: “When I came through at Hibs, it was brilliant. I had Eric Schaedler, Jackie Mcnamara, Alex Cropley, Ralph Callaghan, Ally Mcleod, John Connolly, Gordon Rae, Craig Paterson.
“These boys all looked after me when I came into the team. We’ve gone away from that a wee bit.
“Everyone looks after themselves now but kids still need guidance and help.
“In turn, they help the older ones. It’s a two-way thing.”