Michael John Rathbone was born on 6 November 1958 and is an English former professional footballer who spent a number of years as part of the Everton medical team.
20 Facts About Mick Rathbone
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Mick Rathbone is currently physiotherapist and head of conditioning for Oldham Athletic.
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Mick Rathbone played 384 games in the Football League representing Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End.
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Mick Rathbone was born in Sheldon, Birmingham, and attended Sir Wilfrid Martineau School.
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Mick Rathbone had ambitions to become a doctor, but decided instead to pursue a career in football when Birmingham City, the club he supported, offered him an apprenticeship in December 1974; as a schoolboy Rathbone had been associated with local rivals Aston Villa.
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Mick Rathbone was capped twice at youth level by England.
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The 17-year-old Mick Rathbone made his first-team debut on 31 August 1976 in a League Cup defeat to Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, and had a poor game as he later admitted that "I was at fault for both goals" and "had absolutely no confidence at all" due to what he deemed to be an intimidating atmosphere in the Birmingham City dressing room.
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Mick Rathbone was so low on confidence that he tried to avoid manager Willie Bell so as to avoid training with or playing for the first team.
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Mick Rathbone recalled how he was never able to effectively pass the ball, either in training or in matches, to star forward Trevor Francis due to the nerves he felt in the presence of his childhood hero.
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In March 1979, centre-half Joe Gallagher berated the club's young players in the dressing room, and Mick Rathbone responded by informing manager Jim Smith that he intended to quit the game; Smith placated Mick Rathbone by offering him a short break and a three-month loan spell at Blackburn Rovers to restore his confidence.
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Mick Rathbone joined Blackburn Rovers on a three-month loan in March 1979.
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New manager Howard Kendall gave him a three-month suspension in punishment for Mick Rathbone's declining physical condition.
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On 8 December 1992, following McGrath's resignation, Mick Rathbone was placed in temporary charge.
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Mick Rathbone spent six years at the club, during which time they progressed from Division Three to the play-off for a place in the Premier League, latterly as part of David Moyes' backroom staff.
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When Moyes joined Everton as manager in March 2002, Mick Rathbone followed a few months later after the clubs had agreed compensation.
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Mick Rathbone spent nearly eight years at the club, becoming head of sports medicine, a post he left in May 2010 after what the Liverpool Echo described as "a tumultuous season of injuries" to the Everton players.
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Mick Rathbone then worked as part of the medical team at Nottingham Forest, before re-joining Everton.
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On 6 October 2022, he was announced as physiotherapist and head of conditioning at National League club Oldham Athletic, working with now Oldham manager David Unsworth whom Mick Rathbone knew from his time at Everton.
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Mick Rathbone is nicknamed Basil or Baz, in reference to actor Basil Mick Rathbone.
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Mick Rathbone's son Oliver was a member of the Manchester United academy before he joined Rochdale in 2016.