Hearts hero targeted for SPFL club's manager position as ex Hibs star 'intimates' he's leaving role
The Ayr United boss is expected to leave his position as several replacement candidates arise
Hearts hero Gary Naysmith is reportedly among the names to replace former Hibs man John Rankin as Ayr United boss, who’s indicated his tenure at Somerset Park is nearing its conclusion.
It’s been a tough year for the Honest Men, who started brightly under fellow ex Hibee Scott Brown but drifted down the league to seventh place after a fall from grace. Rankin, who spent three years at Easter Road as a player, took over interim duties in March after Brown stood down and has now hinted that he’ll be finishing up in the near future.
As United now look for Brown’s permanent successor, according to the Daily Record, Stenhousemuir boss Naysmith is in the running according to the Daily Record. The former Hearts defender, who was part of their iconic 1998 Scottish Cup-winning squad, narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship on the final day as Inverness beat them by two points, however Naysmith hasn’t given up hope of promotion just yet as they’ve comfortable reached the play offs. The 47-year old was nominated for Manager of the Season for his exploits at Ochilview but was pipped by current Hearts boss Derek McInnes.
Rankin ‘intimates’ Ayr exit
Rankin ‘intimates’ that he will not be the man to take Ayr United forward next season, according to the Ayrshire Post. After their final day 1-0 defeat at home to league winner St Johnstone, Rankin said: “It is what it is. I’ve loved my time at the club. There are a lot of very good pros and people here and I’ve loved working with them - it is what it is.”
Rankin’s only previous managerial role was at Hamilton Academical, where he spent an eventful three seasons which saw them win the Challenge Cup, then get promoted to the Championship, then go straight back down due to financial issues. He resigned in November after they received a points deduction for breaching an embargo by offering payments to players.
Ayr managed to win just one game under Rankin’s guidance as they now look to put a forgettable season behind them. Along with Naysmith, East Kilbride boss Mick Kennedy is also in the running for the United top job after he helped them reach back-to-back promotions to Scottish League One. Former Ayr boss Ian McCall is another candidate.
Naysmith issues rallying cry despite promotion setback
The former Everton and Sheffield United man led Stenhousemuir to promotion in his first season as they continue to progress through the Scottish football pyramid. Their 2-0 victory over Montrose on the final day this time around wasn’t enough to leapfrog Inverness, who held up their end of the bargain by beating Accies 2-1. Stenny will now face Queen of the South in the play-off semi finals.
After the Montrose victory, Naysmith was in no way deflated about losing out to Inverness in the standings, and instead issued a rallying cry to his player ahead of the playoffs. He said: “The season isn’t over. The season is very much alive for us. We are going into the play-offs in real good form - we’ve had one defeat in 19 matches. We have won our last two now. We went into the play-offs last season having crept in on the last day at the final hurdle. We went into those play-offs with a lack of bodies too but we have a strong group to choose from. The points total we got would have won the league last season but it hasn’t been enough this season.”