Bates hits out over ‘lies’ that said he left Rangers for the money
DAVID BATES has broken his silence on his Rangers exit and accused the Ibrox club of telling ‘lies’ about his reasons for quitting to sign for Hamburg this summer.
The Scotland Under-21 defender moved to the German side, who were relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in 55 years, after growing tired of Rangers stalling on a new contract offer.
The Ibrox club were unhappy at Bates when the Hamburg move was announced just before a Scottish Cup semi-final with Celtic in April. Interim manager Graeme Murty then insisted Bates’ move was financially motivated.
He said at the time: ‘Let’s not beat around the bush, David has gone for more money than we can offer him and he could be playing in Bundesliga II next year. That is the reality of it.
‘So take emotion out of the situation, take the fact he is a Rangers fan out of the situation, we offered him a contract that we felt was good enough to see him stay. I am disappointed more than surprised that he hasn’t accepted it.’
But Bates, who made his Scotland Under-21 debut in the 3-0 win over Andorra on Thursday and will line up against Holland tomorrow in Doetinchem, was furious at the allegation of greed and was keen to explain just why he moved to Hamburg.
‘What got said was complete lies, to be honest,’ he said. ‘It was never about the money or stuff like that.
‘It was about feeling appreciation from a club and the way Hamburg went about it. They came over and watched my games, they were always talking. They showed how much they wanted me to go to Hamburg.
‘I’d started playing a lot more in January, so I thought maybe Rangers might have showed a bit more interest. But it never really happened.
‘When I was at Rangers, I asked them for a contract for a long time and never got one.
‘Hamburg were very interested and that was for me the most important part — how much they wanted me. The way they went about it was so much better than everyone else, so it felt like the love I was wanting.’
And Bates insists he has no regrets about moving to Germany, even though Hamburg were relegated and Rangers seem to be on the up with Steven Gerrard.
‘I’m more than happy, Rangers are a big club and were always going to get big players in and a big manager,’ he continued.
‘Gerrard has done great since he’s come in. I’ve watched every game, I’ve still got Rangers TV and he’s done great and made some good signings. The club is definitely on the way back.
‘But for me, the league I’m in at Hamburg is the highest I’ve played at by far. A lot of the players are technically very good and it’s the highest level for me. And the club is massive.
‘Overall over there, it’s a higher level. You see teams like Cologne, they’ve still got the left-back that is a starter for Germany, Jonas Hector.
‘That’s the type of players that are still in the second league.
‘I’ve always said I was looking to go abroad and try something different and now I’m there I’m enjoying it. Before I signed, I had never even been to Germany.
‘I will try and learn the language as quickly as possible and I’m sure when that comes everything will be a lot easier as well but I think it’s been brilliant.
‘You learn a lot more about yourself, you’re over there alone and there is no family and it can be tough at times.
‘On the football side, it’s a lot better for me and the coach has been good, just the way they play.
‘Of course, I’ve missed my family, but overall it’s been brilliant and I would never tell anyone not to go. I would say have a bash. It’s been two months here already but I’ve really enjoyed it.’
Bates insists there are also plenty of similarities between Hamburg and Rangers.
‘Both sets of fans are very passionate,’ he said. ‘Even when you go into the city, you get a few fans saying hello and asking for my photo.
‘The mentality of the clubs are similar too. At Rangers if you drew or lost a game it was a disaster — and it’s similar at Hamburg.
‘They want you to win every game. It’s a big-club mentality like Rangers.’