Kevin Harper: Albion Rovers manager is Scotland's first black boss in 15 years

[CaaC (John)+]

By Richard Winton

BBC Sport Scotland

1 hour ago | Albion

Is there still a problem with racism in Scottish football?

Kevin Harper thinks so. Earlier this month, the 42-year-old was appointed the manager of Albion Rovers, the club currently bottom of Scotland's League Two. It made him the first black, Asian or minority ethnic boss of a Scottish club since Marcio Maximo left Livingston in October 2003.

"In any other walk of life, if there wasn't a black or ethnic minority in a particular industry or company for 15 years, there would be uproar," Harper says. "Should be football be different?"

In this interview with BBC Sports Scotland, the former Hibernian, Derby and Portsmouth winger talks about being rejected for "30 or 40" jobs, being racially abused as a teenager and the pressure of being a black manager.

'Maybe they think there's no point'

Before Brazilian Maximo's four-month tenure, only Dave Smith at Montrose, John Barnes at Celtic and Claude Anelka - who appointed himself at Raith Rovers - have taken charge of Scottish teams.

The last Scottish government census in 2011 found that 4% of the population are non-white. Yet, at the last count, 6% of the 10,000 registered Scottish FA coaches fell into that category.

Harper, though, remains unconvinced. He estimates that he has applied for between 30 and 40 coaching jobs at all levels of the Scottish game in the past five years but has not once been invited for an interview. Only three clubs extended him the courtesy of a rejection letter.

"I imagine a lot of people would get disheartened," says Harper, who has been working as a recruitment consultant for the past five months. "And maybe that's it. Maybe black and ethnic coaches think 'what's the point?'.

"I'm not for a minute saying black or ethnic coaches deserve an interview purely because of their colour. And I wasn't the best candidate in all of those cases.

"But, when you look at CVs, there's a least half of those jobs, in my opinion, that I should have been interviewed for."

'Players are still racially abused'

The most recent accusation of racism in Scottish football was the anti-Irish variety against Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon at the Edinburgh derby last month.

Harper has huge sympathy for the former Celtic boss and insists racial abuse from the stands in Scotland still happens far too often.

"Players still get it. That's a fact," he says. "It's changed a hell of a lot, but we've not come far enough. Are we ever going to have a time when there is nobody in a stand or on the side of a pitch who is going to say something? I don't think so."

Harper speaks from bitter experience. He says he was racially abused by opponents in the professional game but can also vividly recall the bile spat at him from the sidelines in his formative years in the game.

"Any game I went to, I'd be racially abused as a 10, 11, 12, 13 years old," he says. "But I don't believe everyone who says something like that is racist - it's the easy word to come out with. We need to educate people and make them understand that it's unacceptable and I don't think we do that enough."

'This isn't going to open the floodgates'

Harper has done plenty of learning himself over the past 20-odd years.

The explosive, dreadlocked talent who broke through at Hibs, went on to spend nine years in the English second-tier with Derby County, Portsmouth and Stoke City.

He claimed three championship medals in the process and played under managers such as Tony Pulis, Steve McClaren, and Harry Redknapp - and alongside the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Robert Prosinecki and Paul Merson.

Those relationships and experiences will inform his managerial style, which Harper describes as "methodical, calm... but I can lose the head at times".

So too will a short stint in the Australian third tier, where he was technical director of a club as well as first-team and under-18s manager - a set up that is likely to mirror the all-encompassing nature of his role with Albion Rovers.

But few of his contemporaries in Scotland's League Two will have the same attention and expectation on them as Harper does. Not that he feels it.

"If Albion Rovers had appointed a white manager, I don't think there would have been the interest. But do I feel more pressure because I'm black? No. The pressure for me is to keep the club in the league," says Harper, who lost his first game in charge against Berwick Rangers on Saturday.

"If I do well, it might help others, but I don't think me being at Albion Rovers or keeping them up is going to open the floodgates for black and ethnic managers to take over, so to speak.

"That said, if one person wants to become a coach or a manager because of me, that's perfect."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46224697

[ScoRoss]

7 hours ago, CaaC - John said:

By Richard Winton

BBC Sport Scotland

1 hour ago | Albion

Is there still a problem with racism in Scottish football?

Kevin Harper thinks so. Earlier this month, the 42-year-old was appointed the manager of Albion Rovers, the club currently bottom of Scotland's League Two. It made him the first black, Asian or minority ethnic boss of a Scottish club since Marcio Maximo left Livingston in October 2003.

"In any other walk of life, if there wasn't a black or ethnic minority in a particular industry or company for 15 years, there would be uproar," Harper says. "Should be football be different?"

In this interview with BBC Sports Scotland, the former Hibernian, Derby and Portsmouth winger talks about being rejected for "30 or 40" jobs, being racially abused as a teenager and the pressure of being a black manager.

'Maybe they think there's no point'

 

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"But, when you look at CVs, there's a least half of those jobs, in my opinion, that I should have been interviewed for."

 

The whole CV thing is subjective, but he never actually points to what he has actually done as a coach. All this point at their playing career is worthless when it's a completely different job. It's not like he's had coaching job after coaching job to build up to this.

Now, I don't know how this story came about (whether the media approached him or not) so I won't criticise him for the attention that the story is looking to gain.

[CaaC (John)+]

1 hour ago, ScoRoss said:

The whole CV thing is subjective, but he never actually points to what he has actually done as a coach. All this point at their playing career is worthless when it's a completely different job. It's not like he's had coaching job after coaching job to build up to this.

Now, I don't know how this story came about (whether the media approached him or not) so I won't criticise him for the attention that the story is looking to gain.

I wish the guy well but Albion Rovers sitting at the bottom of league two he has a mountain to climb if he is a success then good on him, it's more than likely the media approached him. 

[Smiley Culture]

That’s a crazy stat, the first in fifteen years. 

Not that we’d ever be able to find out as mere football fans but I wonder how many black football managers are applying for the average job? 

[Marc]

It's a crazy and concerning stat. I don't agree with the Rooney rule but all the evidence suggests there's a lack of opportunities for black managers and coaches in the UK.

I was also surprised that only 4% of the population in scotland is non-white.

[The Artful Dodger]

On 22/11/2018 at 19:14, Marc said:

It's a crazy and concerning stat. I don't agree with the Rooney rule but all the evidence suggests there's a lack of opportunities for black managers and coaches in the UK.

I was also surprised that only 4% of the population in scotland is non-white.

Outside of the Edinburgh-Glasgow belt there are very few urban centres, you dont tend to much immigration to towns and villages.