Published: Thursday, 11th October, 2007 12:30
Ibrox job caps ‘unbelievable few weeks’ for former Pars physio
By Simon Harris
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Pip Yeates, the former Pars physio.
ALL eyes will be on Hampden once again on Saturday as the national team tries to continue Scottish football’s astonishing resurgence in the Euro qualifier against Ukraine.
In the dugout will be former Pars physio Pip Yeates who, after an “unbelievable few weeks”, has found himself at the heart of that resurgence.
The day after returning from Paris and the scene of one of Scotland’s greatest ever triumphs, the 1-0 victory over France, national physio Yeates began work at Ibrox in his new job as chief physio for Rangers.
Already he’s seen more Euro glory nights against Stuttgart and another French triumph with the 3-0 Champions League win at Lyon in his short time at the Gers and he told Press Sport, “It’s been an unbelievable few weeks.
“I started straight after the France game. We got home on the Thursday and I started on the Friday. I have to say it was totally unexpected but Walter Smith asked me if I would help him out. When he approached me I have got such high regard for him and Ally McCoist having worked with them previously I just couldn’t say no.”
It’s the first time Yeates has returned to club football since his long association with the Pars ended on a sour note in April 2004, just a month before the club’s Scottish Cup final against Celtic.
“I have to say it was disappointing and a bit disillusioning at the time to be honest and it was Ally and Walter that got me going again,” Yeates revealed.
“There were circumstances behind the scenes that made it untenable for me to stay. I’ve still got affection for the club and still keep in touch with some of the players but the circumstances at that time meant it just wasn’t going to work going forward. When you have been involved day-to-day, there’s no doubt you miss the day-to-day contact with players. To get the opportunity to go back to it has been brilliant and I’ve got so much respect for the people I’m working with as well.
“It’s like anyone coming into a new job, as an outsider you have to get to know people but I already knew the manager, Coisty, Kenny McDowell, Tommy Wilson was a player at Dunfermline, Billy Kirkwood was a player at Dunfermline and I worked with Jimmy Sinclair at the SFA.
“Throughout the whole backroom staff I’ve had some point of contact with all of them and I know a few of the players, obviously, from working with them for Scotland.”
He’s been Scotland physio since 1994 and that wonderful September night in the Stade de France will be forever etched in his memory.
“Even before the game started, you just had a sense, it was like the old days when they used to take 50,000 to Wembley even when the ban was on,” Yeates said.
“On the afternoon of the game the players were having a lie down, everything was done, everything was packed up and it was about 20 minutes’ walk from our hotel to the Eiffel Tower.
“I went for a walk with some of the staff and as we approached the Eiffel Tower the volume of noise just became bigger and louder.
“There were thousands and thousands of folk having a great time. The police closed the roads and walked them to the stadium and tourist buses were diverting from the main sights just so they could see the Tartan Army walking to the stadium.
“It hit you as soon as we went out for the warm-up, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. All you could hear were Scotland supporters and they were everywhere.
“Behind one goal they were all together singing and then there were hundreds, not tiny pockets, hundreds, behind the other goal and it just hit you right away. I don’t think it was lost on the players in terms of vocal support.
“When it comes to the anthem I still get emotional talking about it. It was just unbelievable.”
He didn’t have long to savour it, however, walking through the imposing Ibrox entrance on day one of his new job just two days later.
“I think you can safely say I’ve had to hit the ground running,” he joked. “When you look at the fixture list, because Rangers are being so successful in the Champions League, it’s potentially near enough Saturday-Wednesday every week right through to the end of the season. They’re one of the biggest clubs in Europe let alone the UK so once you are in, the pressure’s on. It hits you as soon as you go in that you are walking in to a pretty major institution of which you’re a small part.
“The biggest thing at the moment is trying to devise ways of keeping the players fit. It’s preventative stuff. Every game is high intensity and there’s no slacking off. If you’ve only got two or three days between each game that becomes paramount.
“A large part of what we can do with the players is to aid recovery from injury and the intensity of performance so they can go again on the Saturday.”
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