The 27-year-old Scottish defender, who arrived this summer from Mechelen, via Glasgow Rangers, knows where he has been and does not seem impressed. He knows what the legacy of a club means. When he was in Mechelen, and even before the first contacts with Standard were made, he explained that the “best atmosphere in Belgium is at the Standard”. And when he learned of the interest of the Liège club, he didn’t wait to say yes.to a historic club, known at European level, and which I want to help grow”.
The man who was nicknamed Ginger Ramos when he was in Glasgow, without really knowing the origin of this nickname, retraced the course of his career, talked about his role as a defender and a match like no other, against Anderlecht. A meeting that he will be able to play since he is free of his physical problems which had made him miss the receptions of Union (0-0) then of Westerlo (1-2) due to a small tear in his calf.
Anderlecht: “I experienced the Glasgow and Hamburg – Sankt-Pauli derby”
The first match that David Bates played in the Belgian championship, with Cercle Bruges, was against Anderlecht. And one of the five goals he scored with Mechelen was against the Mauves, during his only victory against RSCA (3-2).
“This match is obviously special, for what it represents. Friends asked me if I would be back especially to play against Anderlecht. I would have liked to play against Westerlo already, but that was not possible. We knows what this rivalry represents for the supporters and knowing ours are banned from traveling, it’s a shame, because they can give you the extra 5% when you have to pass a milestone, it’s complicated (Editor’s note: the entertainment groups have planned to go to training on Saturday afternoon to encourage the team one last time before heading out for training).”
Bates played in the Glasgow derby, with Rangers, against Celtic. He’s used to this kind of atmosphere,”with enormous passion. I also experienced it with Hamburg, against Sankt-Pauli. A strong moment”. How to manage the meeting well, for a young team, one of the youngest in the championship? “You must not let yourself be overwhelmed by emotion, but keep this passion. The first quarter of an hour will be very important, then we will have to follow the game plan carefully. After the frustrating defeat against Westerlo, we want a victory before the international break.”
His post: “I prefer to win 1-0 rather than 4-3”
The Liège defense has compiled six clean sheets in nine matches. David Bates’ role cannot be trivial in this affair, even if he refuses the label of boss. “I am the most experienced (27 ans) at most, but it’s teamwork above all.” Asked to define his teammates, he slips in particular from Bosko Sutalo “that he is able to go through a wall to help the team”Nathan Ngoy, absent against Anderlecht, “that he is a great talent”, and of Ibe Hautekiet, his probable successor, “that he is a real hard worker”.
Since he was 14, Bates has been a self-defining defender.good in one on one and hard on the man. I like the duels, the physical side”he smiles. In Scotland, he experienced all levels: D3 (East Stirlingshire), D2 (Brechin) D1 (Raith Rovers) then the Premiership (Glasgow Rangers). “It’s a more direct game, typical of British football than you can imagine in Europe.”
He still had this physical side to win in duels, even if he progressed throughout his European adventures, in Hamburg, then in Mechelen in particular. But he kept one thing, elementary: the horror of conceding a goal. “I always prefer to win a match 1-0 rather than winning 4-3. For a defender, finishing a match without conceding is like scoring a goal for an attacker. It’s a form of accomplishment and it gives you confidence.”
In a team presented as defensive, he is an essential link, but refuses the caricature. “The coach insists on defensive work, being present in duels, being united. But we also work on the offensive level. Andi’s arrivals (Zeqiri) and Dennis (Eckert) will help us. With the international break coming up, we will have the opportunity to perfect that.”
The top 6: “We have to push to move towards that”
David Bates did not hesitate for a second to join Standard, despite the extra-sporting concerns. “I have no control over that, I concentrate on the field”he sweeps away. Not surprised by the start of the Rouches season, he does not hesitate to display a certain ambition: “We don’t talk about it much in the locker room, because it’s a very close championship, but we have to look upwards.”
Can top 6 be a reasonable goal? “We have to push to move towards that. Last season, with Mechelen, we didn’t end up far from the Champions Playoffs (Editor’s note: eighth, two points from sixth place) although we had a very complicated start to the season (Mechelen was 14th after 13 days).”
The purple years of Matthieu Epolo
Do Standard have the same qualities as Mechelen last season? “It’s differentreplies Bates. In Mechelen, there was a lot of quality, like at Standard, but there was more experience with guys like Schoofs, Hairemans, Mrabti.” If the step seems too high for observers, the Scot does not want to give up: “We can’t just say that we’re happy with a place in the soft underbelly of the rankings. We are the Standard.”
His career: “I shouldn’t have left Hamburg”
David Bates hasn’t quite had a linear career. In summary, he did not stay more than two seasons in the same club. His “record” is very recent since it is in Mechelen that he played the greatest number of matches (65) in two seasons. Trained in Scotland, and through all the divisions, he failed to establish himself with Rangers (28 games in two seasons).
“In my family, everyone supports Rangers, so it was a real pride to have played there. But it’s not a regret to have left, because I was able to discover another championship, in Germany.” In Hamburg, then in D2, Bates was not far from moving up to the Bundesliga, despite an unstable context – “we had three different coaches in a little over a year.”.
The Standard Ultras at SL16 Campus on Saturday, at HQ on Sunday
But if there is one thing he would do again in his career, which has taken him to Sheffield Wednesday, Cercle Bruges and Aberdeen, before Mechelen, it would be to stay at Hamburg. “When you’re 21 or 22, you still want to play. I should have been a little more patient (and stay in Hamburg). “At Sheffield, where he did not play, Bates lost a season,”but it is an experience that I can share with young people, to remind them that they need to know how to be patient.”positive-t-il.
At Standard, where he is under contract until June 2027, the Scottish international (4 caps, but the last dates back to 2019) hopes to settle in for the long term. In a few weeks, he will have played more matches in Belgium than in Scotland, where he is not looking to return at all costs. After all, he became the most Belgian of Scots.
