John Rankin (born 27 June 1983) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who currently manages Scottish League One club Airdrieonians.
Rankin played as a central midfielder for Ross County, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hibernian, Dundee United, Falkirk, Queen of the South and Clyde. Rankin also played once for Scotland B in 2006.
Playing career Early career Rankin started his career at English Premier League club Manchester United but did not make any first team appearances. Whilst at the Red Devils, he was loaned out to Corinthians, along with Ben Muirhead by Alex Ferguson, 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 clubs, Rankin signed for Scottish First Division club Ross County in 2003 and played in 101 league matches for the Dingwall club, scoring 17 goals. Rankin also received two league Player of the Year awards.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Rankin moved to Highland derby rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle 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 nine goals for the Caley Jags that included a stunning last minute winner against Rangers 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 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. 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 in the summer of 2009. New manager John Hughes decided to give the armband to Chris Hogg, however, with Ian Murray to serve as Hogg's vice captain. Rankin fell out of favour under Colin Calderwood and was told in March 2011 that his contract would not be renewed. Rankin played in 100 league matches for the Hibees and scored six goals.
Dundee United Rankin signed a two-year contract with Dundee United on 17 May 2011. He scored five goals for United as the team finished fourth in the 2011–12 Scottish Premier League season and qualified for the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. In June 2012, Rankin agreed an extended contract with United. He was appointed chairman of PFA Scotland 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, 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 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 in February 2018 and he departed the Dumfries 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 goal of the month in January and February 2019.
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 awards, he was shortlisted for Player of the Year and named in the Team of the Year for League Two.
During the 2018–19 season, Rankin scored nine goals in 39 appearances.
International career Rankin represented Scotland B, in a match against Turkey B in 2006, while at Ross County.
Managerial career
Hamilton Academical
Rankin joined Hamilton Academical as assistant head coach in December 2021 and was promoted to head coach on 28 June 2022, succeeding Stuart Taylor.
Despite winning the 2023 Scottish Challenge Cup final in his first season, Hamilton lost the Championship play-off final on penalties against Airdrieonians and were relegated to Scottish League One. However, under Rankin, the club secured an immediate return to the second tier after defeating Inverness Caledonian Thistle 5–3 on aggregate in the promotion play-off final.
The following season, amid financial issues, the club were issued with a 15-point deduction due to missed payments which meant Hamilton were automatically relegated to League One.
At the start of the 2025–26 season, the club were placed under a transfer embargo and lost its youth academy.Hamilton Accies losing CAS Elite status confirmed by Scottish FA as players free to leave club, Andy McGilvray, Daily Record, 20 August 2025 In October 2025, they were found to have breached the embargo by offering payments to players which led to a fine, six-point deduction and a fraud investigation. This culminated in Rankin announcing his resignation on 29 November after four years at the club.
Ayr United
On 31 March 2026, Rankin was announced as Ayr United manager on an interim basis ahead of the final six matches of the 2025-2026 season, following the departure of Scott Brown. Rankin departed the club on 5 May, after retaining Ayr's status in the Scottish Championship for a ninth consecutive season.
Airdrieonians
Rankin was appointed Airdrieonians manager on 23 May 2026.
Career statistics Player + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueScottish CupLeague CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsRoss County2003–04Scottish First Division3551020214062004–05Scottish First Division3003120303812005–06Scottish First Division36123020214313Total1011771607212120Inverness Caledonian Thistle2006–07Scottish Premier League3463000003762007–08Scottish Premier League153003000183Total499303000559Hibernian2007–08Scottish Premier League1722000001922008–09Scottish Premier League3331010203732009–10Scottish Premier League3303020003802010–11Scottish Premier League171101010201Total10067040301146Dundee United2011–12Scottish Premier League3843120204552012–13Scottish Premier League3524020204322013–14Scottish Premiership3525030004322014–15Scottish Premiership3022030003522015–16Scottish Premiership352402000412Total173121811204020713Falkirk2016–17Scottish Championship130002020170Queen of the South2016–17Scottish Championship1710000001712017–18Scottish Championship341304030441Total512304030612Clyde2018–19Scottish League One3591030003992019–20Scottish League One7110000081Total42102030004710Career total5295640234019262260
Managerial record As of match played 22 September 2026
TeamFromToRecordGWDLWin %Hamilton Academical28 June 202229 November 2025Ayr United (interim)31 March 20265 May 2026Airdrieonians23 May 2026presentTotal
Honours Club Manchester United Reserves Premier Reserve League North: 2001–02
Ross County Scottish Challenge Cup runner-up: 2004–05
Dundee United Scottish Cup runner-up: 2013–14 Scottish League Cup runner-up: 2014–15
Clyde Scottish League One play-off winners: 2018–19
Scotland U16s Victory Shield: 1997–98
Managerial Hamilton Academical Scottish Challenge Cup winners: 2022–23Raith Rovers 0–1 Hamilton Academical, Andrew Petrie, BBC Sport, 26 March 2023 Scottish Championship play-off winners: 2023-24
Individual SPFA First Division Player of the Year: 2005–06 Scottish Football League Player of the Year: 2005–06 PFAS League Two Team of the Year: 2018–19 Scottish First Division Player of the Month: November 2005, January 2006 Scottish First Division Young Player of the Month: December 2003 SPFL League One Manager of the Month: 2023-24: August 2023
See also List of footballers in Scotland by number of league appearances (500+)
References