David Bates says there can't be many 6ft 4ins Scottish ginger guys in the neighbourhoods of Diyarbakir, but the big Fifer is already a popular figure in his new home city. After six games of the new Super Lig season, newly-promoted Amedspor is sitting top of the table, ahead of the country's 'big three' Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce.
Under boss Besnik Hasi, they're defying the odds in the Turkish top flight and sending shock waves around Europe. The Kosovan coach is very keen on having a ginger Scot at the heart of his defence. After working with him at Belgian side Mechelen, Hasi immediately moved to take Bates to Amedspor this summer.
'The fanbase is crazy'
The 29-year-old former Rangers defender is loving his new life in Turkey. He's experienced supporters obsessed with their clubs before in Glasgow and Germany. But Bates says nothing compares to what he's witnessed so far at Amedspor.
In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, he said: "The fanbase is crazy. If we had an 80,000 or 100,000 stadium I think they'd fill it. In the streets after the game, it's nuts trying to get home from the ground."
"All of the roads are blocked. The fans are outside partying. Even trying to get to the game on the bus, the supporters are just everywhere. It's chaos after games. It took us over an hour to get home after we beat Besiktas last week when it should be a 20 minute drive."
Rangers and Hamburg 'something else'
"The people just take to the streets, it's mental. Aye, they recognise me. I'm a big tall, skinny, white ginger guy. So I probably stand out a bit! Seriously, the fans are everywhere here. They just love their club. Everyone in the city supports the club."
"I've played at Rangers and Hamburg but this is something else, honestly. Everything is about Amedspor. You see jerseys everywhere, there are fans across the city. It's mad. Everyone in the city supports them. But the people here are so nice. Everywhere you go, even if I go into the supermarket, they're so welcoming. The neighbours we've got around us just want to do everything they can to help us."
Reunited with Hasi
Bates was already at a big club in Belgian side Standard Liege. But when Hasi called and sold him on the Amedspor project, Bates was ready to continue his European adventure. He's hooked up with a gaffer who rates him and Bates has been in top form so far this term. He's already shackled Liverpool legend Mo Salah as they beat Trabzonspor and before the international break, they also saw off Besiktas at the Diyarbakir Stadium.
Bates said: "The coach is someone I've worked with before in Belgium. He gave me a phone and said he wanted to bring me in. I saw Amedspor were in the Super Lig and he explained they wanted to make big steps to stabilise the club. The level they wanted to get to and the investment they were making in the club was a lot."
"So straight away, I wanted to work with the coach again. I knew his style of play. Knowing the coach when you go into a club is the biggest thing. I fitted into his system so it was perfect. When I spoke to people at the club itself, it was all really positive."
Looking up the way
"I was open to leaving Standard in the summer with just one year left on my contract. When the coach phoned me, I knew I'd played my best football under him at Mechelen. He didn't want me to go to Standard when I was there! He still reminds me of that."
"He's a top coach in terms of the way he wants to play but also how he is as a guy as well. So when he called I was happy to go and try something new in Turkey. I knew it was a different league, culture and style of life. I'm happy I got that call and decided to come."
"The Besiktas result was big for us. We've played four home games now and we've won them all. We've already beaten Trabzonspor and Basaksehir. Obviously, Besiktas was our toughest game. But we'd analysed them and the coach gave us good details. The game was tough but we came away from it thinking we should have scored more goals with the chances we created."
"When I signed after the club got promoted, everyone said we just wanted to be safe. We probably hoped to try and finish around mid-table. But the way we've started, we're now looking up the way."
From East Stirling to Turkey
Just over a decade ago, Bates was trying to make his way in the game on loan at East Stirling from Raith Rovers. Now, he's approaching the peak years of his career in Turkey having already played for the likes of Rangers, Hamburg and Standard Liege.
The humble defender is proud of what he's achieved and feels taking the plunge to try football abroad when he left Ibrox in 2018 was a pivotal moment in his career.
He said: "Sometimes we sit and laugh about where I was 10 or 12 years ago and where I am now. When I was at East Stirling I couldn't have envisaged the career I've had. At Raith Rovers, I remember thinking if I could just get into the first-team it would be great."
"I was delighted to get off the bench at Raith. That apprenticeship wasn't easy, on £100 a week. You never expect it, you just keep working away and hope that it comes off. Making that decision to leave Rangers for Hamburg was important for me."
"I'd never have met the people I've met or worked with the coaches I have if I didn't make that move. At Hamburg, I really developed as a young player. It was the first time my eyes were really opened to a different style of football. If I hadn't taken that jump, I'd never be where I am now."
