When you think of the greatest minds in Scottish football, you turn to Sir Alex, Walter Smith, Andy Roxburgh or Archie Knox... and Jimmy was right up there with them

Brian Rice pays tribute to mentor and‘great pal’Bone

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Brian Rice believes Scottish football has lost one of the doyens of the game in Jimmy Bone.

The St Mirren legend passed away last Monday at the age of 75.

Tributes flooded in for the former Hearts, Celtic and Arbroath forward who also managed St Mirren, Airdrie, Power Dynamos in Zambia, East Fife, Arbroath and Stenhousemuir.

Livingston head of operations Rice worked closely with the former SFA coach and he believes that, when it came to knowledge of the game and experience, Bone was right up there with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, the late Walter Smith, Archie Knox and Alex Smith.

"I've known him for a long time and he's always been a great pal," said Rice. “He will be sadly, sadly missed.

"Anything you needed to know about football, you just phoned Jimmy. There was a group of them, the likes of Jimmy, Alex Smith, Dick Campbell and Alex Ferguson.

"Andy Roxburgh, Walter Smith and Archie Knox were part of it as well.

"They were all in great company and they were always there for you.”