United Physio Swire Retires

Manchester United’s head physiotherapist Rob Swire has today called time on his 23-year career with the Reds, describing the post he’s decided to retire from as “fantastic” and “the top physio’s job in football.” His successor will be the assistant he appointed 15 years ago, Neil Hough.

First on the scene whenever a player succumbed to injury, Swire has been a familiar face on the pitch in the last decade and a half, following his promotion to senior physio in the summer of 1999. Since then, he’s played an important but low-profile part in United’s success, helping to keep the likes of David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney up and literally running in the pursuit of Premier League titles, European Cups and more. Leaving behind all that has understandably been difficult but Rob feels that now is the right time to step down from a demanding but enjoyable role.

“It wasn’t easy, it was a big decision,” he admitted. “I’d been thinking about it for a year or more, working out when it would be right to retire.

"I’ve been doing the job for a long time and the hours mean you’re working all the time, including weekends and evenings, and travelling a lot and that isn’t easy when you have a family at home.

“It’s been a fantastic job, a brilliant job, I couldn’t have wanted anything better, but after 23 years at United, and the best of 30 years in total of working pretty much seven days a week, I couldn’t keep doing it forever. I had to decide at some point when to stop and now’s the time.”

Swire’s long and distinguished service with the club began in 1991 when he responded to an advert in the Physiotherapy journal and landed a job as assistant to United physio Jim McGregor. The keen cyclist had aspired to work in the field from the age of 15, when he had treatment on a knee injury and thought, “I could do that.” His break into football came at Halifax Town, then managed by former Reds player Jim McCalliog, and after 18 months he was off to Manchester to be met by a very famous first patient.

“When I turned up for my first day at The Cliff training ground, the team were away on tour,” Rob recalled. “The only person there was Bryan Robson who was waiting for me to treat him. There was nobody else to even introduce us, but Bryan was great. I had a good few days working with him.”

Swire feels working with McGregor for three years and then Dave Fevre for five years after that fully prepared him for the senior post he occupied at United from 1999 until now.

“They were both good people to work with, fantastic at their job, and they taught me well,” said Rob, who believes he's the Premier League’s longest-serving physio at one club.

“I think this job is the top physio’s job in football. You can be a physio for the national team of course but there you only work intermittently, so I think club football is probably the pinnacle because you have day to day involvement with the players.”

This day-to-day involvement has helped the Reds to yield year after year of service from Ryan Giggs, whose career on the pitch at United has run in parallel with Rob’s time at the club – beginning in 1991 and only just drawing to a close now in 2014. But while the physio and his colleagues have obviously assisted Ryan, Rob gives the lion’s share of the credit for longevity to the player himself.

“It all starts with Ryan, he’s done by far the most to get himself out on the pitch through all the years. Sir Alex Ferguson looked after him too and then there’s myself, the other physios, the football coaches and fitness staff, the yoga teachers and nutritionists… but there is only so much you can tell players. They still have to take it on board and Ryan has taken in everything and used it to his advantage.”

Now Ryan has a new role as assistant manager he’ll be working closely with a new head physio in Neil Hough, someone who Rob considers as “perfect” to succeed him.

“He’s been fantastic to work with, he’s been very supportive of me. You’ve got to have the best people around you and Neil has been brilliant.”

Rob himself will move on to a new life of relaxation and pastimes he’s had to put on the backburner throughout his long United career.

“After working seven days a week for such a long time, I’ve done something like 40 or 45 years’ work in 25 years, so I just want to put my feet up and see more of my family after spending so much time away from them.

"I’m also looking forward to catching up with the things I’ve not been able to do for all this time. I’ll get out in the garden, get out on my bike and just chill out.”

Everyone at Manchester United extends sincere thanks, warm wishes and congratulations to Rob on his retirement.

Credit: Manutd.com