Brian_Rice_(footballer)

Brian Rice (footballer)

Brian Rice (footballer)

Scottish footballer (born 1963)

Brian Rice (born 11 October 1963) is a Scottish football coach and former player, who is currently first team coach to David Martindale at Scottish Premiership club Livingston.

Quick Facts Personal information, Date of birth ...

Rice played for Hibernian, Nottingham Forest, Grimsby Town, West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City, Falkirk, Dunfermline Athletic, Clyde and Greenock Morton.

Since his retirement from playing, Rice has worked as a coach for Greenock Morton, Airdrieonians, Falkirk, Hibernian, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, St Mirren and Livingston. He has also managed Hamilton Academical and Alloa Athletic.

Playing career

Born in Whitburn near Edinburgh, Rice began his career with Hibernian. He made 98 appearances for Hibs in five seasons at Easter Road, scoring 12 goals. During his time at Hibs, Rice won the 1982 European Under-18 Championship with Scotland.[2]

He was signed by Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough for £175,000 in August 1985. During his time there, Forest won the Football League Cup twice, in 1989 and 1990. He scored a memorable winning goal in the sixth round of the FA Cup against Arsenal in 1988, and became a 'cult hero' with the fans due to his lack of pace.[3]

Whilst a Forest player, Rice had loan spells at Grimsby (making four appearances), West Bromwich Albion (making three appearances) and Stoke City (making 18 appearances in 1990–91). He made 115 appearances for Forest scoring 12 goals.

In August 1991 he returned to Scotland and signed for Falkirk, playing for them until the early part of the 1995–96 season. He then moved to Dunfermline followed by Clyde for two seasons each, and left Clyde at the end of the 1998–99 season.

Coaching career

In 2000, Rice was appointed assistant manager to Ian McCall at Greenock Morton, making one appearance as a player. Rice was then assistant manager to McCall at Airdrieonians, but the club went out of business in 2002. McCall and Rice then both moved to similar positions at Falkirk. McCall eventually moved on to Dundee United, while Rice continued at Falkirk, assisting John Hughes. He helped the club win the First Division in 2005 and reach the 2009 Scottish Cup Final.

Rice followed Hughes in returning to Hibernian when Hughes was appointed manager there in June 2009.[4][5] Rice also left the club when John Hughes departed as manager by mutual consent in October 2010.[6] As of June 2015, Rice was coaching Al Khor in the Qatar Stars League. He left Al Khor in July 2015 to work for John Hughes at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.[7] Rice continued as assistant manager at Inverness after Richie Foran succeeded Hughes as manager,[8] and then when John Robertson replaced Foran.[9]

Rice left Inverness in June 2018 to take the assistant manager position at St Mirren, working for Alan Stubbs.[9]

Rice took a lead coaching role for the first time in January 2019, when he was appointed head coach of Hamilton Academical.[10] During January 2020, Rice admitted that he had a gambling addiction.[11] He was banned from working on the touchline for ten matches (five of which were suspended) by the Scottish Football Association because he had regularly bet on football.[11] This led to a wider debate in Scottish football about a perceived gambling culture, and sponsorship of clubs and competitions by gambling companies.[11] He resigned from Hamilton in August 2021.[12]

He was appointed Alloa Athletic manager in February 2022.[13] Rice left this position in November 2023 to become first team coach at Livingston.[14]

Career statistics

Player

More information Club, Season ...
  1. Includes Football League Trophy, Full Members Cup, Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy and Scottish Challenge Cup.

Managerial record

As of match played 4 November 2023
More information Team, Nat ...

Honours

Falkirk

Scotland Youth

References

  1. [1]
    "Scotland U21 Player Brian Rice Details". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  2. [2]
    "When Scotland enraged Van Basten & won the Under-18 European Championship in 1982". BBC Sport. 16 June 2022.
  3. [3]
    "Brian Rice". Sporting heroes. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  4. [4]
    "New Hibs manager looks forward to continuing alliance with Rice". Edinburgh Evening News. 10 June 2009.
  5. [5]
    "Rice seeks new Fletcher for Hibs". BBC Sport. 3 July 2009.
  6. [6]
    "Manager John Hughes parts company with Hibernian". BBC Sport. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  7. [7]
    "Inverness CT: Brian Rice joins as assistant manager". BBC Sport. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  8. [8]
    Dowden, Martin (17 June 2016). "Inverness CT: Brian Rice stays on as assistant manager". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  9. [9]
    Skinner, Andy (19 June 2018). "Caley Jags assistant Rice given permission to speak with St Mirren". Press and Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  10. [10]
    "Brian Rice: Hamilton appoint former St Mirren assistant as new head coach". BBC Sport. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  11. [11]
    McLauchlin, Brian (30 January 2020). "Brian Rice: Hamilton head coach left 'helpless and powerless' by gambling addiction after 10-game ban". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  12. [12]
    "CLUB STATEMENT: BRIAN RICE". 11 August 2021. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  13. [13]
    Scott, Kevin (21 February 2022). "Brian Rice appointed new manager at Alloa Athletic". STV Sport. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  14. [14]
    "Brian Rice leaves Alloa for Livingston". SPFL. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  15. [15]
    Brian Rice at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  16. [16]
    "2018–19 Hamilton Academical Fixtures & Results". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  17. [17]
    McKinney, David (13 December 1993). "Football: Falkirk find their fire". The Independent. London. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  • Brian Rice at Soccerbase Edit this at Wikidata
  • Brian Rice at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
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