Motherwell boss Graham Alexander has backed former Hamilton Accies boss Brian Rice to get back into football, after he sensationally resigned on Wednesday.
Alexander says managers generally don't like people to feel sorry for them but has empathy with his former opposite number at New Douglas Park.
Rice stepped down for personal reasons, but Alexander expects him to bounce back.
He said: "I don't think we like to have people feel sorry for us, as managers, I think empathy is more the word, I've been there myself, I've seen it.
"He's a top guy, a top coach, I got on really well with him when I met him a couple of times.
"I spoke to him on the phone a couple of times in the summer, and without a doubt he will be back in football, because he's a top guy, he knows the game.
"Unfortunately, that's the path we tread, but he will come back stronger and better."
Alexander says Rice's decision to step down shows how difficult management is, and that people often take it for granted.
He said: "It's really difficult, but it's a challenge, and we're used to being in challenging positions, because the majority of us have been in football a long time, and it's a job we love.
"We know the pitfalls, we know the fights, and the challenge we have to overcome, but this is professional sport, I don't think there are easy jobs in any professional sport, to be honest.
"We go into it with our eyes wide open, because we're confident that we can overcome those challenges and be successful."
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