Robbo example is the way ahead for Rankin’s youngsters
Andy Robertson’s influence stretches from Liverpool to Lanarkshire.
The Scotland captain might not know it, but he is playing a tiny part in the attempt to revive the fortunes of Hamilton Accies.
John Rankin got the job of managing the Championship club last week and a big factor in that was the former midfielder’s commitment to developing young players.
He spent four years working with rising stars at Hearts before becoming Accies’ assistant head coach last December.
Rankin admits one man played a significant role in the way he views the importance of encouraging a youthful enthusiasm at football clubs.
A turning point came when he was playing for Dundee United in November 2013.
He recalled: “The young player that stands out for me was a gallus, Glasgow guy.
“A lovely kid off the pitch who has gone on and won the Champions League with Liverpool – Andy Robertson.
“Andy had respect but, at the same time, as soon as he crossed that line there was no respect. It was a case of ‘I’m Andrew Robertson and I’m here to show you what I’m good at’.
“I can always remember a game against Motherwell at Fir Park. We were 3-0 up and going into the 82nd minute. I thought the result should be tied up.
“I told Andy just to sit in his position and not to go anywhere. Three minutes later, we stole the ball on the righthand side and I was on it.
“I then heard a shout: ‘Ranks, Ranks’ and I played the pass. It was Andy. He bombed on and scored.
“I grabbed him, saying: ‘What did I tell you? What did I tell you?’ His reply: ‘But I scored, didn’t I?’
“I then thought it was great because there was an absolute freedom, there were no worries, he just wanted to score.
“At that moment my mindset started to change because I realised you need kids involved.
“Jackie Mcnamara, the manager at United, was great at it. He brought kids through like Gary Mackay-steven and Stuart Armstrong, Andy Robertson, Ryan Gauld, Johnny Russell.
“He threw them in and said to the other 10 guys: ‘That guy’s going to play today, you need to take responsibility.’
“They’ve had great careers but, when I look back, I now realise it was a privilege to share a pitch with those guys.”
Accies fans have seen players like James Mcarthur, James Mccarthy, Brian Easton, Greg Doherty and Lewis Ferguson come through their academy and go on to bigger things.
Rankin, 39, hopes youngsters can have an influence on the present and do great things in the future.
He added: “We’ll be striving to develop young players and get them into the first team.
“Mcarthur and Mccarthy are the poster boys here and that’s a huge part of my vision – get the kids in and get them playing.”
Not all will make it, but Rankin has seen how quickly a player’s career can change.
“I remember Aaron Hickey moving from Celtic at Hearts,” he said. “He was a kid who had lost a lot of confidence and needed to find himself again. But he had a manager that believed in him – Craig Levein.
“He knows how to coach and he knows how to treat people.
“To then trust a 16-year-old within a year to play in the Scottish Cup Final was quite something in itself.”