Ron Yeats
Encyclopedia
Ronald 'Ron' Yeats is a Scottish former footballer. He was the captain of the first great Liverpool
team of the 1960s.
. Previously, he worked in a slaughter house before he turned professional.
Yeats, a stockily-built 6 ft 2 in central defender, was bought by manager Bill Shankly
in 1961 from United and was immediately installed as captain as Liverpool gained promotion from the Second Division 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 the 19 August 1961, his first goal came 2 years later in the 75th minute of the 1-0 First Division victory over bitter rivals Manchester United
at Old Trafford on the 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 journalist
s to "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.
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.
Yeats skippered Liverpool to another League title in 1966 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
.
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 'Honourary Scouser' by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool
.
Runner Up
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
team of the 1960s.
Life and playing career
Yeats was an Under 15 Schoolboy international who played for Aberdeen Lads clubs when he was signed by Dundee UnitedDundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
. Previously, he worked in a slaughter house before he turned professional.
Yeats, a stockily-built 6 ft 2 in central defender, was bought by manager Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
in 1961 from United and was immediately installed as captain as Liverpool gained promotion from the Second Division after eight seasons away from English football's top flight. He made his debut in a 2-0 league victory over Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
at Eastville
Eastville
There are several places bearing the name Eastville:*Eastville, Bristol, England*Eastville, Lincolnshire, England*Eastville, Nova Scotia, Canada*Eastville, Virginia, USA...
on the 19 August 1961, his first goal came 2 years later in the 75th minute of the 1-0 First Division victory over bitter rivals Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at Old Trafford on the 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 journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s to "The man is a mountain, go into the dressing room and walk around him". Yeats lived up to the reputation and the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
("The Colossus") his huge frame gave him, playing at the heart of Liverpool's defence for a decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
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.
Liverpool won the League championship
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in 1964 and then picked up their first-ever FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
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
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
semi-final to Inter Milan.
Yeats skippered Liverpool to another League title in 1966 and during this period also won two caps for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, the first came on 3 October 1964 in a 3-2 defeat to Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. 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
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
in 1971 and eventually became their manager.
In 1976 at age 38, he joined the Los Angeles Skyhawks
Los Angeles Skyhawks
The Los Angeles Skyhawks was a professional soccer club based in Los Angeles, California that was a member of the American Soccer League. Founded as part of the American Soccer League's expansion to the west coast in 1976, they were the first professional sports team to be based in the San Fernando...
of the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
at the request of Skyhawk coach Ron Newman
Ron Newman (footballer)
Ronald Vernon Newman is a former association football player and coach. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame....
. 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
Santa Barbara Condors
Santa Barbara Condors was an American soccer club that was a member of the American Soccer League.The club folded halfway through their only season.-Year-by-year:...
expansion team. Returning to Liverpool, he had a short spell at the start of the 1977/78 season playing for Formby
Formby F.C.
Formby F.C. are an English football club based in Formby, Merseyside. They currently play in the North West Counties Football League Division One and are members of the Liverpool County Football Association...
.
In 1986, Yeats returned to Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
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 'Honourary Scouser' by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool
Lord Mayor of Liverpool
The office of Mayor of Liverpool has existed since the foundation of Liverpool as a borough by the Royal Charter of King John in 1207. This changed, however, some time after Liverpool was granted city status in 1880 when it was deemed necessary for the "second city of the Empire" to have a Lord Mayor...
.
Statistics
| Club | Season | League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... |
FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... |
Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
Others | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Tranmere Rovers | 1973-74 | 36 | 2 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| 1972-73 | 42 | 1 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| 1971-72 | 18 | 3 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | |
| Liverpool FC | 1970-71 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| 1969-70 | 37 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 3 | |
| 1968-69 | 39 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 2 | |
| 1967-68 | 38 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 3 | |
| 1966-67 | 40 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |||||||||
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1965-66 | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 3 | ||||||||
| 1964-65 | 35 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 1 | ||||||||
| 1963-64 | 36 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 1 | ||||||||
| 1962-63 | 38 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1961-62 | 41 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | ||||||||
| Club | Season | Scott League Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League... |
Scott Cup Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The... |
League Cup Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by... |
Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
Others | Total | ||||||
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Dundee United | 1960-61 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| 1959-60 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 1 | |
| 1958-59 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 1957-58 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Total | 550 | 19 | 59 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 36 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 669 | 22 | |
Liverpool
Winner- 1961-62 Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
(Level 2) - 1963-64 Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(Level 1) - 1964-65 Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
(Shared) - 1964-65 FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- 1965-66 Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
(Shared) - 1965-66 Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(Level 1) - 1966-67 Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
Runner Up
- 1965-66 European Cup Winners Cup
- 1968-69 Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(Level 1)