, A physio s life
Physiotherapist JOHN LYONS talks to veteran career… Ian Liversedge about his incredible
What it’s really like
NOT many people can say they’ve worked with the likes of Kevin Keegan, Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley, Paul Gascoigne and Jamie Vardy in their career – but then again not many physios have been around as long as Ian Liversedge.
After starting out on the physio trail with Tranmere Rovers in 1981 when he realised he wasn’t going to cut it as a footballer himself, Liversedge, who had been with Manchester United and Everton as a youngster, has now notched up 35 years as a physio with a host of different clubs from top flight to Non-League.
It’s been a memorable journey for the man known throughout the game as SOSS (“It came about in the early days when I was a semi-pro and it’s stuck ever since. There have been a few theories about its derivation but it comes from the name ‘Liversedge’ which then became ‘liver sausage’ then SOSS”) and he’s still going strong with Accrington Stanley now as they chase promotion from League Two.
After a short stint at cash-strapped Tranmere under manager Bryan Hamilton, Liversedge got his big break when he landed a job at Newcastle United in 1982. The Magpies were in Division Two at the time, but it was a massive club – and when Kevin Keegan signed shortly after, the profile grew even bigger.
Liversedge loved to get out on the training ground and have a kickabout with the players whenever the opportunity arose and Keegan once said: “It’s a poor state of affairs when your physio’s your best player!”
In a book about Liversedge’s career, he recalled: “I’d probably marked him out of a training game! It didn’t matter what type of game I was in, I always gave it my all.
“The lads used to like it when I went in goal. I was all over the place, diving, getting muddy, trying to cope with my lack of height.”
Liversedge has nothing but praise for what Keegan did on Tyneside. “He was a special player,” Liversedge told
“When you worked with him, you could see he was absolutely brilliant. He never shirked a challenge, never ducked or dived. He got battered in the old Division Two but he just got up and got on with it.
“He was a fantastic, bubbly character and a natural goalscorer. He was exceptional in helping Newcastle up to Division One.”
At the same time, the Toon had Chris Waddle and Peter Beardsley in their ranks.
“They were fantastic times to be involved at Newcastle United,” said Liversedge. “People couldn’t name the defence, no one bothered about them – the idea was that we’ll score more than the opposition.”
If that wasn’t enough, Newcastle then unearthed the mercurial Paul Gascoigne – though Liversedge gave the young Gazza a lesson to remember in training once.
“I laid Gazza out once in the gym,” recalled Liversedge in “He had come in a bit strong and I went high and clattered into him! It was just instinct kicking in with me. I didn’t go out to injure him deliberately.
“I thought that Colin (Suggett – youth team manager) wouldn’t invite me to take part again. He wouldn’t want a competitive rough diamond harming his prized possession. Instead, Colin came over and gave Gazza a telling off: “How many times have I told you not to do something like that because you’ll come up against players like SOSS who is experienced and knows his way round a football pitch.”
Yet Liversedge has only praise for Gazza the player.
“He had the ability to win games on his own,” he told “He was inspirational, a special player and I was lucky enough to work with a few in my career.”