John Rankin (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Rankin | ||
| Date of birth | 27 June 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Bellshill, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Central Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Dundee United | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2006 | Ross County | 101 | (17) |
| 2006–2008 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 49 | (9) |
| 2008–2011 | Hibernian | 100 | (6) |
| 2011– | Dundee United | 132 | (9) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006 | Scotland B | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:28, 13 April 2015 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
John Rankin (born 27 June 1983 in Bellshill, Scotland) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Dundee United. Rankin has previously played for Ross County, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Hibernian. He represented Scotland B once, in 2006.
Club career
Early career
Rankin began his career with English Premier League club Manchester United, but did not make any first team appearances.[1] While at Manchester United, Rankin was sent to Corinthians, along with Ben Muirhead, by Alex Ferguson, to gain experience at Manchester United in the near future. However, his time there was a disaster, as he spoke about how both players struggled for food while they were there:
| “ | We got up one day and had our breakfast but then ate no lunch and no dinner. The day after we had NOTHING to eat. Our next meal was lunch the following day. We hadn’t eaten for two days and had been at six training sessions so it was a struggle. The other players knew where to go for food but we couldn’t communicate with anyone. | ” |
He also spoke about the poverty he had seen in his time in Brazil:
| “ | One of my main memories is the poverty in the place. I saw people living in wooden sheds and kids begging. The children hunted in packs for food. The kids hung lollipops over your wing mirror if you stopped at traffic lights and if you took them off they’d ask for money. That’s how bad it was. I’ve young children myself now and it’s not right for a boy of eight to have to beg. It was a reality check. I was only 18 and it was heart breaking. It really opened my eyes.[2] | ” |
After unsuccessful trials with a number of Scottish Premier League sides,[3] he joined Scottish First Division side Ross County in 2003, going on to make over 100 league appearances for the Dingwall club and receiving two league Player of the Year awards.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
He 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. He made 55 appearances and scored nine goals, including a stunning last minute winner against Rangers on 27 December 2006.[4]
Hibernian
In January 2008, Rankin moved to Hibernian for a fee of £110,000.[1] Rankin scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win for Hibs against Celtic on 7 December 2008.[5] The goal was notable because it was scored from a yard in front of the centre circle, approximately 45 yards from the goal.[5] The shot dipped and deceived the Celtic goalkeeper, Polish international Artur Boruc.[5] After the game, Rankin described the shot as a "squiggler".[5]
Rankin was a candidate for the Hibs captaincy after Rob Jones left for Scunthorpe United in the summer of 2009.[6] New manager John Hughes decided to give the armband to Chris Hogg, however, with Ian Murray to serve as Hogg's vice captain.[7] Rankin fell out of favour under Colin Calderwood and was told in March 2011 that his contract would not be renewed.[8][9]
Dundee United
Rankin signed a two-year deal with Dundee United on 17 May 2011.[10] Rankin 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.[11] In June 2012, Rankin agreed an extended contract with United.[11] Rankin was appointed chairman of PFA Scotland in February 2013, replacing Jack Ross.[12] On 26 February 2014, Rankin agreed a two-year contract extension.[13]
International career
Rankin represented Scotland B once, in a match against Turkey B in 2006, while he was a Ross County player.[14]
Awards
- Scottish First Division Players' Player of the Year: 2005–06
- Scottish Football League Player of the Year: 2005–06
- Scottish First Division Player of the Month: November 2005, January 2006
- Scottish First Division Young Player of the Month: December 2004
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Ross County | 2003–04 | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 6 |
| 2004–05 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
| 2005–06 | 36 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 13 | |
| Total | 101 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 121 | 20 | |
| Inverness CT | 2006–07 | 34 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 6 |
| 2007–08 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | |
| Total | 49 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 9 | |
| Hibernian | 2007–08 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 |
| 2008–09 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 3 | |
| 2009–10 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| Total | 100 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 114 | 6 | |
| Dundee United | 2011–12 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 5 |
| 2012–13 | 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| 2013–14 | 35 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| 2014–15 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
| Total | 132 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 160 | 10 | |
| Career total | 382 | 41 | 31 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 450 | 45 | |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Hibernian sign Rankin from Caley". BBC Sport. 17 January 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ↑ "John Rankin: Images of riots in Brazil reminded me of loan spell in poverty stricken Sao Paulo". Daily Record. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "Eric sorry for seeing red". BBC Sport. 4 March 2003. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ↑ "Inverness CT 2–1 Rangers". BBC Sport. 26 December 2006.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Rankin practised long 'squiggler'". BBC Sport. 7 December 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ↑ Johnstone, Darren (18 July 2009). "Murray, Hogg and Rankin in contention for Hibs captaincy". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ↑ "Hogg named new Hibernian captain". BBC Sport. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ↑ Strachan, Colleen (9 March 2011). "Hibs: Stack faces months out as Rankin is told he can depart". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ↑ "Hibernian to release 10 players". BBC Sport. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
- ↑ "Former Hibs midfielder John Rankin joins Dundee United". BBC Sport. BBC. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Dundee United extend John Rankin contract". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ↑ Newport, Andy (26 February 2013). "John Rankin appointed as PFA Scotland chairman". The Scotsman (Johnston Publishing). Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ↑ "RANKIN COMMITS TO 2016". Dundee United FC. 26 February 2014.
- ↑ "FUTURE CUP 2005". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. Archived from the original on 1 July 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- ↑ "John Rankin Stats". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ↑ "John Rankin Stats". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
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