JOHN Rankin has been appointed as interim manager of Ayr United on a deal until the end of the season.
The former Dundee United and Hibernian midfielder arrives at Somerset Park following the departure of Scott Brown and Steven Whittaker earlier this week.
The role becomes the 42-year-old's second in management, having previously held the reins at Hamilton Academical for a three-year stint during what proved to be a turbulent time in the club's history.
During his time in Lanarkshire, Rankin won a Scottish Challenge Cup title during his first season in charge.
Despite suffering relegation to League One that same campaign, the club bounced back to the Championship under his stewardship the following season.
Thereafter, financial woes took hold, ultimately leading to a further relegation and Rankin's resignation from his position in November last year.
Now, the new boss says he is delighted to be at the helm of a "great club" in Ayr United.
He told Ayr United TV: “Yesterday morning, I was just about ready to tee off and my phone rang. It was Graeme [Mathie].
“Instantly, I was excited by the opportunity. I think it’s a great club, hugely ambitious, with a great infrastructure.
“Straight away, it met my ambitions and it was something that I really wanted to proceed with.
“I’m delighted to be back and delighted to be at such a club.”
Rankin says his first aim will be bringing fresh belief to the squad at Somerset Park after the club dropped to eighth in the Scottish Championship amid an eight-match winless run.
He added: “I think that passion and enthusiasm become infectious to players. I think my own strength is people skills.
“Right now, there are a lot of people struggling with confidence because of recent results. We need to build that confidence back up.
“I think there is a dressing room of players who need to love themselves again. I’m going to help them do that.
“It has to be that way between now and the end of the season to try and get a successful product on the pitch.”
Rankin faces a tough first test in the dugout, with title challengers Partick Thistle coming to South Ayrshire on Saturday, April 4.
It is a challenge that the interim manager is relishing as he looks to start his reign with a victory.
He continued: “You look at the games and think about how tough they are, every game in this division is tough.
“We need to make sure we give everything we can on those days. It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.
“I’m going to get right behind the players, if the fans can give them that little bit of energy themselves, they’ll respond to it.”
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