Ron Yeats

For those of a similar name, see Ronald Yates (disambiguation).
Ron Yeats

Yeats in 2007
Personal information
Full name Ronald Yeats
Date of birth (1937-11-15) 15 November 1937
Place of birth Aberdeen, Scotland
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position Centre half
Youth career
1955–1957 Aberdeen Lads' Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1957–1961 Dundee United 96 (1)
1961–1971 Liverpool 358 (13)
1971–1975 Tranmere Rovers 97 (5)
1975 Stalybridge Celtic
1975–1977 Barrow
1976 → Los Angeles Skyhawks (loan)
1977 Santa Barbara Condors
1977 Formby 10 (0)
1977–1978 Rhyl
National team
1964–1966 Scotland 4 (0)
Teams managed
1971–1974 Tranmere Rovers
1975–1977 Barrow
1977 Santa Barbara Condors

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Ronald "Ron" Yeats (born 15 November 1937 in Aberdeen, Scotland) is a Scottish former footballer. He was the captain of the first great Liverpool team of the 1960s.

Life and playing career

Yeats was an Under-15 schoolboy international who played for Aberdeen Lads FC, a Junior club in his home town of Aberdeen. Yeats had a trial with Elgin City, then a Highland League club, but was not offered a contract. He was signed by Dundee United, who were then a Scottish Division Two club, in 1957. Previous to signing for Dundee United, he worked in a slaughter house in Aberdeen.

Yeats, a stockily-built 6 ft 2 in central defender, was bought by manager Bill Shankly in 1961 from United for a fee of around £20,000 and was immediately installed as captain as Liverpool gained promotion from the Second Division[1] after eight seasons away from English football's top flight. He made his debut in a 2–0 league victory over Bristol Rovers at Eastville on 19 August 1961, his first goal came 2 years later in the 75th minute of the 1–0 First Division victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on 23 November 1963.

When Yeats was signed, Shankly was so impressed and proud of the physical presence of his new player that he told waiting journalists "The man is a mountain, go into the dressing room and walk around him". Yeats lived up to the reputation and the nickname ("The Colossus") his huge frame gave him, playing at the heart of Liverpool's defence for a decade and winning the club's first major honours in nearly 20 years. Shankly later described Yeats's arrival, along with that of striker Ian St John (also in 1961), as the "turning point" as Liverpool began their quest to compete with — and beat — the best in England and in Europe.[2]

Liverpool won the League championship in 1964 and then picked up their first-ever FA Cup a year later, beating Leeds United 2–1 in the final at Wembley. Yeats was gleeful as his lifted the trophy, though he suffered disappointment at the same time as Liverpool lost in the European Cup semi-final to Inter Milan.[1]

Yeats skippered Liverpool to another League title in 1966[1] and during this period also won two caps for Scotland, the first came on 3 October 1964 in a 3–2 defeat to Wales at Ninian Park Cardiff. The success of Liverpool then dried up, and he was one of the high-profile victims of a massive cull of the older players which Shankly ruthlessly undertook in 1970 in an effort to rebuild the side for a new decade. After 454 games, Yeats left for Tranmere Rovers in 1971 and eventually became their manager.

In 1976 at age 38, he joined the Los Angeles Skyhawks of the American Soccer League at the request of Skyhawk coach Ron Newman. In his only season there, he played sweeper and anchored the defence of the A.S.L. champion Skyhawks.

In 1977, he became the player coach of the American Soccer League's Santa Barbara Condors expansion team. Returning to Liverpool, he had a short spell at the start of the 1977/78 season playing for Formby before moving to Rhyl in November 1977.

In 1986, Yeats returned to Anfield as the club's chief scout, responsible for delegating duties to the club's talent spotters. He remained in that role until his retirement in May 2006.

Still held in high regard amongst the Liverpool faithful he was voted 29th in the official Liverpool website poll '100 Players Who Shook The Kop'.

In April 2009, Yeats was made an 'Honorary Scouser' by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool.[3]

He is referenced in the Everton song "Royal Blue Mersey" in the line "We hate Bill Shankly and we hate St. John, but most of all we hate Big Ron"

Statistics

Club Performance
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Others Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Formby 1977–78 10030000020150
Tranmere Rovers 1973–74 36220400000422
1972–73 42120100000451
1971–72 19240000000232
Liverpool F.C. 1970–71 12120002000161
1969–70 37360203000483
1968–69 39240302000482
1967–68 38290206100553
1966–67 40240--5010502
1965–66 42210--9010533
1964–65 35080--9110531
1963–64 36150--0000411
1962–63 38060--0000440
1961–62 41050--0000460
Club Season Scott League Scott Cup League Cup Europe Others Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Dundee United 1960–61 28010600000350
1959–60 33120500000401
1958–59 19040300000260
1957–58 15020000000170
Total 560 19 62 0 21 0 36 2 5 1 684 22

Honours

Liverpool
Los Angeles Skyhawks

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Reuben Bennett". www.qosfc.com. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  2. ↑ "Beginning a football revolution". BBC News. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  3. ↑ Waddington, Marc (3 April 2009). "Liverpool's footballing legends among first round of Honorary Scousers". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
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