logo
Ex-Rangers boss Alex McLeish reflects on Euro agony vs Panathinaikos and offers Walter Smith advice to Russell Martin

Ex-Rangers boss Alex McLeish reflects on Euro agony vs Panathinaikos and offers Walter Smith advice to Russell Martin

Scottish Sun4 days ago
He's shared some memories of his early days at Ibrox
GREEK TRAGEDY Ex-Rangers boss Alex McLeish reflects on Euro agony vs Panathinaikos and offers Walter Smith advice to Russell Martin
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
ALEX McLEISH saw his European dreams crushed the last time Rangers faced Panathinaikos in the Champions League.
Now he hopes Russell Martin's side make amends on Tuesday night.
Sign up for the Rangers newsletter
Sign up
6
Michael Mols' goal wasn't enough to stop Rangers going down to Panathinaikos
6
Alex McLeish's men needed to win at Ibrox to drop into the UEFA Cup
6
But the 3-1 defeat saw McLeish's charges crash out of Europe
Eck was in charge at Ibrox when they hosted the Greeks in the group stages in December 2003.
Back-to-back away defeats to Manchester United and Stuttgart, after a home loss to the Old Trafford side, had killed their knockout stage hopes.
Gers had a solid start, beating the Germans in Govan and drawing away in Athens.
Still, a win against the Greeks on matchday six would have seen Rangers into the Uefa Cup.
But a 3-1 loss saw them finish bottom of Group E on goal difference.
Michael Mols put Gers ahead, but goals from Raimondas Zutautas, Angelos Basinas and Michalis Konstantinou stunned Ibrox.
McLeish said: 'We'd got past FC Copenhagen in the qualifying round then started the group well against Stuttgart.
'We could actually have won in Greece too — they scored right at the end to get a draw.
'But 1-1 was a good result, and four points out of six was a good start.
'We were a bit limp in the two United games, and went into the last game at Ibrox knowing a Uefa Cup place was the best we could get.
New Rangers chiefs Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe's first interview
'Mols put us ahead but they equalised straight away, went in front, and hit us with a third on the break when we were pushing forward.
'It was a poor performance, and I just hope Rangers can make amends for it on Tuesday night.
'After the Treble in 2002-03 we'd made a lot of changes to the squad and we were in the middle of a rebuild.
'Barry Ferguson and Lorenzo Amoruso had joined Blackburn, Neil McCann went to Southampton, Arthur Numan had left.
'The squad was definitely weaker and it showed in the European games.
'It was still pretty close against Panathinaikos, but we weren't at the level of previous seasons.'
McLeish knows the pressure is on new Gers boss Martin going into Tuesday's clash — but thought back to his first Old Firm game as manager, the CIS Cup semi-final in 2002, for inspiration.
Eck added: 'I was staying in a hotel and I was stomping around my room the night before with all those thoughts in my head.
Have YOU got a point for Kris Boyd?
Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah chew over the big talking points each week
SOMETHING you've just got to get off your chest from the weekend action?
A burning Scottish football talking point you can't wait to bring up with Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah?
SunSport's GoBallistic show wants to hear from you!
So why not help set the Scottish football agenda for the week ahead!
Have your say on the game's big topics by emailing us on: GoBallistic@thesun.co.uk
It's YOUR turn to Go Ballistic!
'There had been a bit of scepticism about my appointment, and we were going into my first Old Firm game with Celtic going for back-to-back Trebles.
'I'd the wee devil on one side going, 'What if you never beat Celtic? You'll go down in history as a dumpling'.
"And the wee angel was going, 'But what if you win? How good would it be?'.
'I rang Sir Alex Ferguson that night and had a chat, told him how we were going into the game as underdogs.
'He said to make sure my defence was locked tight, but also to make sure I'd one or two in the team with the X-factor.
'Being honest, I wasn't envisaging Bert Konterman as my X-factor guy!
6
"But he was the hero of the hour with his flash of inspiration to win the game.
'I get the fans' concern about whether there's been enough preparation for this.
'But it would be a fantastic boost if Russell got his tactics right and got a result. It would silence the doubters.
'For me, that Celtic game lit the touchpaper and we went on to win trophies. So it just takes one result.
6
Alex McLeish hopes Russell Martin fares better against the Greeks than he did
"But Russell will know it's going to be tough. Greece's international team were really good against Scotland in the Nations League play-off in March.
'It's not going be a walkover and I don't think people are thinking that way.
'It might be that Rangers need that underdog mentality. Make sure they are absolutely watertight but still have a bit of flair, with match winners in the side.
'Russell had a very difficult job at Southampton and he knows the demands at Rangers.
'I think back to going to dinner with Walter Smith and our wives when I took over.
"I asked if he had any tips for me, and he looked furtively over his shoulder and leaned forward towards me.
'I thought, 'Brilliant, I'm going to get some penetrating insight, the benefit of all his experience'.
6
'And he said, 'Just f****** win, that's all there is to it!'. I carried that into every single game.
'Russell has been at Rangers, he knows there are critics everywhere and that expectation of winning every week.
'It would be nice to go to Greece with a 2-0 lead. But it will be difficult.'
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Walsh: Spain 'deserve' to enjoy Euro 2025 final without 'controversy'
Walsh: Spain 'deserve' to enjoy Euro 2025 final without 'controversy'

South Wales Guardian

time26 minutes ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Walsh: Spain 'deserve' to enjoy Euro 2025 final without 'controversy'

England will meet Spain once again on Sunday having lost 1-0 to them in the World Cup final in Australia in 2023 as a result of Olga Carmona's strike. While it marked a first major trophy for La Roja, their celebrations were disrupted after Luis Rubiales kissed striker Jenni Hermoso without consent, leading to a conviction of sexual assault. Contrary to the players' hopes, the victory in 2023 did not have the same impact in Spain as the Lionesses' Euro 2022 win had in England a year before. 'There's a lot of respect between both the teams. The most important thing for them is that they can enjoy this final, there's not the controversy surrounding it,' said Walsh. 'The girls deserve to be there, they deserve it. So first and foremost, as human beings they can actually just go out and enjoy themselves. 'I don't think there was enough spotlight on how incredible they played and how incredible some of them were. 'It was all about the other stuff that had gone on and as a professional, that was disappointing to see. I have a lot of friends in that team, and they deserved more than what they got.' Walsh was playing her domestic football in Spain at the time of the World Cup final, coming up against many of her Barcelona teammates in the clash. Having sandwiched her time with the Spanish giants between spells at Manchester City and Chelsea, she saw firsthand the differences in uptake following England's international success and Spain's. 'Experiencing what it was like in Spain, they could have had more,' added Walsh. 'The way [the WSL] jumped after we won the Euros and everything around it, if you compare it to Spain, it probably wasn't the same and they had won the World Cup.' Her links with the Blaugrana mean she will once more come up against familiar opposition in Basel when England face Spain at St. Jakob Arena with a second consecutive European title up for grabs. 'I speak to Jana Fernandez a lot, we're good friends, and obviously I've got a few friends from Barcelona as well,' she said. 'She was just texting me and saying about our last two games. She said that she's happy for us that we're in the final and said there's a lot of respect between the two teams. 'Moving abroad is difficult because you are on your own. I think that's why I've got so many good friends on the Spanish team because they've always looked after me. 'Irene Paredes always invited me round for dinner with her family and when I wasn't feeling great, I was with Mariona. All those girls really, really spent time to take care of me.' Time to go again. We will face Spain in the #WEURO2025 final. 🤩 But while the good feeling remains towards her former teammates, on Sunday all that will be set aside as attention focuses solely on how to beat Spain. 'It is a rivalry. There's respect between the two teams and they play incredible football, and we know that we do on our day as well,' said Walsh. 'It's going to be a great game and hopefully it's a good one for the fans to watch. After the game, we'll go back to being friends, but right now we're rivals.' And while that rivalry has been put the test in the Nations League twice in 2025, with a win apiece, tournament football brings a new dynamic that both sides have shown they are capable of handling. While the Lionesses have earned a reputation for never giving up, twice coming from behind to win after extra time or penalties, Spain also proved their mettle with 1-0 extra-time victory against Germany. 'We've not given up in any game, so that's the message we've been sending,' said Walsh. 'But also, Spain are an incredible team and we've played them many times and we know what their strengths are. 'It's going to be a difficult game and obviously they went to extra time last night and won, so they've proved that they can also do the same.'

Robin Propper's exact Twente contract details revealed as Rangers exit fast tracked with final hurdle cleared
Robin Propper's exact Twente contract details revealed as Rangers exit fast tracked with final hurdle cleared

Daily Record

time26 minutes ago

  • Daily Record

Robin Propper's exact Twente contract details revealed as Rangers exit fast tracked with final hurdle cleared

The defender is finally set to end a long-running saga and seal a £1.5m move back to the Netherlands Out of favour Robin Propper looks set to finally complete his move back to FC Twente with a bumper four-year deal on the table. ‌ The defender was left out of Rangers ' Champions League win against Panathinaikos during the week and is expected to complete a medical at Enschede, ahead of a £1.5million transfer. ‌ His move from Ibrox after just a year was held up due to a reported stalemate between the player and Rangers about the remaining time of his contract, because he would be on a less lucrative deal in the Netherlands. But the Eredivisie club now appear to have resolved the issue by offering the 31-year-old a longer deal and he will end his unsuccessful spell at Ibrox. Propper played 115 matches for Twente between 2021 and 2024 and was the club's captain. However, he failed to nail down a regular spot at Rangers, despite scoring in an Old Firm win against Celtic in January and he only started 22 league games. And he will finally seal a departure as Russell Martin continues his rebuilding process at Rangers. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.

Robin Propper's Rangers future finally resolved as Twente Enschede make major decision about transfer
Robin Propper's Rangers future finally resolved as Twente Enschede make major decision about transfer

Scottish Sun

time26 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

Robin Propper's Rangers future finally resolved as Twente Enschede make major decision about transfer

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ROBIN PROPPER will finally complete his move back to Twente Enschede this weekend after the Dutch side offered him a bumper four-year deal. The defender was left out of Rangers' Champions League win against Panathinaikos during the week and is expected to complete a medical at Enschede, ahead of a £1.5 million transfer. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 1 Robin Propper is on his way to FC Twente after a lengthy saga Credit: Willie Vass His move from Ibrox after just a year was held up due to a reported stalemate between the player and Rangers about the remaining time of his contract, because he would be on a less lucrative deal in the Netherlands. But the Eredivisie club appear to have resolved the issue by offering the 31-year-old a longer deal and he will end his unsuccessful spell at Ibrox. Propper played 115 matches for Twente between 2021 and 2024 and was the club's captain. However, he failed to nail down a regular spot at Rangers, despite scoring in an Old Firm win against Celtic in January and he only started 22 league games. And he will finally seal a departure as Russell Martin continues his rebuilding process at Rangers. More to follow. Rangers fans unfurl giant tifo ahead of Russell Martin's first match Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store