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Daily Record
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Kirk Broadfoot recalls Rangers powderkeg against Panathinaikos and explains why things could be worse now
As one of Rangers' 2008 UEFA Cup heroes Broadfoot knows exactly what it takes to withstand a fiery night in Athens. Kirk Broadfoot felt the heat on the park and off it the last time Rangers entered the Panathinaikos cauldron. A powderkeg evening in Greece saw Walter Smith 's side come under fire from a pumped-up Pana and their crazy ultras. Broadfoot was just relieved that UEFA Cup firecracker in February 2008 - which paved the way for Gers to go on a run all the way to the final - wasn't also played in a summer Mediterranean furnace. As it was a late Nacho Novo goal sealed a backs-to-the-wall 1-1 draw in the ramshackle Stadio Aspostolos Nikolaidis and ensured Rangers Euro hopes never went up in flames. It was enough to seal an away goals victory and qualification for the last 16 of the competition. But Broadfoot admits they had to withstand a 90-minute battering. Seventeen years later and Rangers are facing another do-or-die Euro double header with Pana - but this time in the Champions League qualifiers with the second leg to take place in Athens' Olympic Stadium during the height of the summer holiday season. Temperatures are forecast to hit the high 30s Celsius by the time Russell Martin's troops take the pitch next Wednesday night hoping to avoid being burned at the first hurdle. Double or maybe even treble the 16,000 fans who turned out back in 2008 are expected to pack in. And it all means one thing is certain - it's going to be uncomfortable. That's why Broadfoot is convinced Rangers must ensure they win Tuesday's first leg in the home comforts of Govan and give themselves a cushion for what's about to hit them eight days later. The towering defender wasn't one to often feel uneasy in the heat of battle during his career. But turning his mind back to that night in Greece he told MailSport: 'It was quite intimidating if I'm being honest. I remember going out for the warm up and the stadium was full. You don't really get that over here. 'The atmosphere was hostile. There's the part with the ultras, they called it Gate 13, where the tunnel was. Sasa Papac had told me to watch out for missiles. He said 'as soon as you go out here they'll throw stuff at you'. 'I didn't really take it on board, that was my first season at Rangers so I'd never really experienced anything like that. 'But once you were out… wow. They were noisy, they were throwing all sorts of stuff at you and I quickly realised 'we're in for one tonight'. 'The pitch was covered with programmes and all sorts of stuff. They were just launching anything they could get their hands on really. 'Luckily wee Nacho popped up with a late equaliser because we took a wee bit of a doing that night if I'm being honest. 'There's going to be more of them next week. So one thing you can guarantee is it will be intimidating. 'I expect the Rangers players, the likes of James Tavernier and John Souttar, to be used to that now. But it will be hostile. They do really get behind their team over there. "On top of that they will have to contend with the heat. When we played it was February and the temperatures weren't too bad. It was still warm compared to what we were used to but it wasn't too bad. I think it was sitting at 17 or 18 Celsius. 'But that could be a big factor now for Rangers going over there at this time of the year. 'Obviously the Panathinaikos players will be more used to it, you do acclimatise to where you play and train in it. 'It will be a factor especially the last half hour of the game with the fans pushing Panathinaikos on. That's when the fitness levels will be pushed to the max. 'That's why I really think Rangers need to build up a lead in the first leg to take over there. 'It's so early for them to be playing this level of game. So much is riding on it. They really could have been doing with an easier start in the Champions League.' Broadfoot was a key man in Smith's side that rode out the storm in Athens and then helped shock Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina before succumbing to Zenit St Petersburg in the 2008 final. It was a journey built on solid foundations. Nothing flashy. Being hard to beat. And it worked a treat. But that's not a gameplan Broadfoot expects to see new boss Martin, renowned for his possession-based style, to adopt no matter the size of the challenge. He said: 'I know Russell Martin likes to play a possession-based game but will he get to play that against Panathinaikos away? Only time will tell. 'We always played with four centre-backs in that run to the final. Myself at right back, Carlos Cuellar, Davey Weir and Sasa Papac on the left. That's pretty much four centre-backs. Then in front of us we had Brahim Hemdani and Kevin Thompson just sitting so you'd say it was six really defensive players there. 'We were set up not to concede and try and nick a goal. It worked. Unfortunately, not in the final but it worked all the way through. 'We always made sure we tried to not concede at home with the away goal because if we did then we had to go away and open up and maybe score two. It didn't really suit us at that point. 'But with the away goals rule being scrapped now it changes quite a lot. 'It'll be interesting to see how Russell Martin approaches it. He's got a new-look defence. 'I like the way he talks, the way he comes across. I really do hope he hits the ground running.'
ITV News
3 days ago
- Sport
- ITV News
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers goalie Phil Parkes told he will 'never walk again'
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Phil Parkes has been told he will never walk again, after a serious fall. Parkes, who is in the Wolves' Hall of Fame and is known as 'Lofty' by fans, had a bad fall at the start of this year. He had to have surgery and has been in hospital for the last three months. In a statement, the club said he had "made progress" towards recovery but doctors had told him his injuries were so severe he would likely never walk again. It was his 78th birthday on Monday, 14 July. A fundraiser has been started by one of Parkes's friends to support his recovery, raising £6,500 so far. The club understands Parkes will stay in hospital for more physiotherapy for the time being. 'I hope my Wolves career is remembered with joy' Phil Parkes started his career as a youth player in Wolves' academy in 1962. He was famous for his consistency, breaking the club's record with 127 consecutive appearances between 1971 and 1973. He spent the twilight of his career in America playing for a range of teams from the Oklahoma City Slickers to Chicago Sting. When he stopped playing, Parkes became a roofer and worked for 22 years. Even after leaving the professional game, Parkes kept playing, joining a non-league club for three years and later a Sunday league side called Marstons. When asked in an interview with Wolves last year how he would like his career to be remembered, Parkes said: "I hope my Wolves career is remembered with joy. "I enjoyed it, I loved playing for this football club, I had a great time, so I just hope all the supporters enjoyed it too." Wolves vice president and Former Players Association chairman John Richards said: 'We were made aware recently that Phil had received this life-changing news, and are continuing to offer support both to him and his sons, Greg and Dean." John Richards played with Parkes for just under a decade. They both won runners-up medals when they took Wolves to the final of the UEFA Cup. He added: 'Although it is obviously very distressing, and something that has taken time to get used to, Lofty has responded in the same way as to so many other challenges in his life – with fight and determination. 'Ever since he has been hospitalised, rarely has a day gone by without a visit from one of his former teammates or a club representative, and, following my most recent visit last weekend, I am pleased to say he remains in very good spirits. 'His sense of humour and personality it is still very much the same Lofty' 'In terms of his sense of humour and personality, it is still very much the same Lofty, and the motivation for all of us who have so much love and respect for him is to do whatever we can to help him prepare and adapt for the tough challenges ahead. 'There are so many people connected with Wolves and football in general who have come forward to offer their help and support, another sign of the esteem in which Lofty is held, not just for his career achievements but the character he has always been off the pitch as well. 'Since he lost his wife Maureen to breast cancer 15 years ago, Lofty has done so much incredible work to support different charities – and now it is time for all of us to do whatever we can to help him.'
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Rangers get Champions League TV double billing for crunch Panathinaikos qualifier as broadcast details revealed
Russell Martin will take charge of Gers for the first time in a competitive sense for the first time next Tuesday Both legs of Rangers ' crucial Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos have been given a top TV billing. On Tuesday, July 22, Russell Martin will lead his team out at Ibrox in a competitive fixture for the first time when the Greeks are in town for the first leg of the second round clash. Eight days later, Gers will then travel to Athens for the return fixture at the Athens Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, July 30. The two teams will square off for the first time since the 2007/08 campaign, where Rangers edged out Panathinaikos over two legs in the round of 32 in the UEFA Cup on route to their final defeat to Zenit St Petersburg. Martin has strengthened his squad with seven new faces ahead of the game as he looks to guide the club into the revamped group stages of the Champions League for the first time since the 2021/22 season. And fans hoping to watch his new-look team in action will get the chance to see both games on TV. The first leg showdown has been picked up by Premier Sports, who will begin their coverage at 7.15pm on Tuesday, July 22 ahead of the 7.45pm kick-off. And eight days later, the second leg clash in the Greek capital will be broadcast on BBC Scotland, with the game kicking off at 7pm. Earlier on Friday, Rangers' squad for the two-legged tie was locked in, as per UEFA regulations. All of the new summer recruits have made the cut, including Norway international Thelo Aasgaard, despite the former Luton Town star picking up an injury in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Dunfermline earlier this week. Returning midfielder Kieran Dowell is included following his loan spell at Birmingham City in the second half of last season but fringe players Ben Davies, Rabbi Matondo, Jose Cifuentes, Ross McCausland and Robin Propper have all been left out with their immediate futures at Ibrox in serious doubt. 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.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
The little club has been pushed aside again in favour of one with more money, fumes Palace legend after Europa League KO
GEOFF THOMAS knows exactly how Crystal Palace fans are feeling after Uefa booted them out of the Europa League. That is because the former England midfielder was their captain when Uefa denied them what should have been a European spot in 1991. Advertisement 13 Crystal Palace celebrate winning the FA Cup final after stunning Manchester City at Wembley in May to qualify for Europa League 13 Geoff Thomas, seen here tussling with Paul Gascoigne, was captain of Crystal Palace when they were denied entry to the UEFA Cup despite finishing third in 1991 And he blasted: 'It feels like the little club has been pushed aside again in favour of somebody with more money.' But in April 1991, with only a few games left, Uefa announced they were allowing Liverpool back in. And it felt like deja vu for Palace legend Thomas when Uefa stated they were Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL This is despite the Eagles winning the FA Cup by stunning Manchester City in May's final at Wembley. Thomas, who is currently raising money for Care Leukaemia by riding at his SEVENTH Tour de France, told SunSport: 'It's as though Uefa have found a loophole not to let Palace into a competition which they rightly qualified for after winning the FA Cup. 'The little club has been pushed aside again in favour of somebody with more money.' The injustice of 1991 was the goal-posts for European qualification being moved with only a few games left — when it had been believed all season, if Liverpool finished in the top two, third place would secure a UEFA Cup spot. Advertisement Most read in Sport 13 Crystal Palace fans protest against Uefa's decision to deny them a Europa League spot 13 John Textor's stakeholding in Crystal Palace broke Uefa's multi-ownership rules despite the American selling his shares 13 Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish is appealing Uefa's decision to relegate the club to the Conference League at the European Court of Sport Arbitration 13 Geoff Thomas has been raising funds for Care Leukaemia by riding the Tour de France Advertisement Thomas said: 'It felt like a pipe dream for a club like Palace to get into Europe but with us sitting third during an incredible season everyone thought we were going to do it. 'Then all of a sudden when we qualified for Europe the ban was lifted on a great side. There's no getting away from that. We were devastated. 'Everyone wanted Liverpool to be in Europe — but they were banned for crowd trouble.' It had a devastating effect on Palace's fortunes which eventually saw them relegated two years later. Advertisement Thomas, who made 195 appearances for the Eagles, said: 'We went on to lose key players like Ian Wright, Mark Bright and Andy Gray. 'We had a good nucleus of a side with players like Nigel Martyn and John Salako. 'Had we got into Europe that would obviously have allowed us to increase our player power in the transfer market. 13 The Palace team that went on to finish a club-record third in the top flight Advertisement 13 Crystal Palace's legendary manager Steve Coppell had huge stars such as Mark Bright and Ian Wright among his ranks 13 Geoff Thomas was one of Crystal Palace's most influential players 'And it would have helped get Selhurst Park up to some sort of order. It would've given us the perfect opportunity to redevelop the ground.' Thomas believes it was a watershed moment for the club - and added: 'We had just narrowly missed out on winning the FA Cup in our first season in the top flight in 1990 and then we finished third. Advertisement 'It just felt like we were a team that was really gelling and building. We were a group of guys who probably, in some ways, had a last chance to make a name for ourselves. 'And collectively, we were doing that. We were such a tight bunch and so similar. 'I can see many similarities to our present-day squad in terms of the characters and skills.' Thomas believes the 1991 team could have gone on made a name for themselves on the continent. Advertisement 13 The Palace 1991 team also won the old Full Members Cup at Wembley He said: 'It's always hard to say once an opportunity is gone — but we had the abilities in that squad to really upset some of the bigger European clubs at that time. 'So we'll never know exactly what would've happened and that's why it was so frustrating. And the same can be said with this present team.' Chairman Steve Parish is appealing the decision by taking it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Advertisement Yet in a worst-case scenario Palace will at least compete in the Europa Conference League, which Chelsea and West Ham have won. But Thomas rapped: 'Yes but it feels you must go very deep into that competition, probably the semi-finals, before you can get any sort of atmosphere or excitement. 'The earlier games just feel like another match and more trauma on the pockets of fans. 'Palace supporters deserve better than this. They've been a real force behind this team's success, building a huge reputation for being the most vocal and should be looking forward to playing some of Europe's top teams.' Advertisement Geoff's incredible Tour de France triumph 13 GEOFF THOMAS will cycle into Paris on Sunday completing a staggering SEVENTH Tour de France spanning 2,074 miles. The 60-year-old former Crystal Palace star was marking the 20th anniversary of his first appearance at the event just months after he miraculously beat blood cancer. Thomas is raising funds for Cure Leukaemia, founded by Prof Charlie Craddock, who helped save his life. Advertisement Thomas was initially given THREE MONTHS to live in 2003 but Craddock put him on chemotherapy treatment that took his life expectancy back to three years — before performing a stem cell transplant from his sister Kay that put him in remission in 2005. Yet having competed in six Tours, his last one four years ago, he feared his cycling days were over when he got grade four arthritis in his knees. Thomas said: 'Premier League medical advisor Mark Gillett told me about a hydrogel injection called Arthrosamid that he could give me through a company called Regener8 Healthcare. 'It gave me instant relief in January and after a couple of weeks I was back on my bike training for this. Advertisement 13 Geoff Thomas has been competing in his SEVENTH Tour De France and raised down the years millions for Care Leukaemia 13 Crystal Palace legend Geoff Thomas cycling through the streets of France 'I've not been able to train as much as the other guys but wanted to be involved as it's not only 20 years ago I went into remission and rode this event but have reached the grand old age of 60. 'My dad died at 60 just a few weeks after being diagnosed with lung cancer so it was all very poignant. Advertisement 'He smoked 80 cigarettes a day. I thought he lived happily throughout his life, maybe naively, but having reached 60 myself there is so much more to look forward to. So this was a little nod to him.' Thomas has enjoyed cycling down the years and has raised millions of pounds for Care Leukaemia. And he tells a great story about the time his ex-Palace team-mate Ian Wright joined him and John Salako in a charity ride from London to Paris. He said: 'It put him off cycling. Wrighty is always a bundle of fun — but when he was on a bike he wasn't! Advertisement 'He wasn't very good. He had his good mate Mitchell Thomas trying to look after him — but just kept falling off his bike. On one occasion he went headlong into a bush! 'Wrighty has since retired from cycling!'
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
The little club has been pushed aside again in favour of one with more money, fumes Palace legend after Europa League KO
GEOFF THOMAS knows exactly how Crystal Palace fans are feeling after Uefa booted them out of the Europa League. That is because the former England midfielder was their captain when Uefa denied them what should have been a European spot in 1991. Advertisement 13 Crystal Palace celebrate winning the FA Cup final after stunning Manchester City at Wembley in May to qualify for Europa League 13 Geoff Thomas, seen here tussling with Paul Gascoigne, was captain of Crystal Palace when they were denied entry to the UEFA Cup despite finishing third in 1991 And he blasted: 'It feels like the little club has been pushed aside again in favour of somebody with more money.' Palace finished a club-record third while second-placed Liverpool were banned from Europe following the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985. But in April 1991, with only a few games left, Uefa announced they were allowing Liverpool back in. And it felt like deja vu for Palace legend Thomas when Uefa stated they were relegating his ex-club to the less glamorous Conference League because they had fallen foul of multi-ownership rules. Advertisement John Textor, who has a controlling stake in Lyon, owned 43 per cent of Palace before he agreed to sell it last month. And Uefa have opted to boot FA Cup-winners Palace out at the expense of the French team who finished sixth in Ligue 1. Nottingham Forest have been told they will take the Eagles' English spot. This is despite the Eagles winning the FA Cup by stunning Manchester City in May's final at Wembley. Thomas, who is currently raising money for Care Leukaemia by riding at his SEVENTH Tour de France, told SunSport: 'It's as though Uefa have found a loophole not to let Palace into a competition which they rightly qualified for after winning the FA Cup. 'The little club has been pushed aside again in favour of somebody with more money.' The injustice of 1991 was the goal-posts for European qualification being moved with only a few games left — when it had been believed all season, if Liverpool finished in the top two, third place would secure a UEFA Cup spot. Advertisement 13 Crystal Palace fans protest against Uefa's decision to deny them a Europa League spot 13 John Textor's stakeholding in Crystal Palace broke Uefa's multi-ownership rules despite the American selling his shares 13 Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish is appealing Uefa's decision to relegate the club to the Conference League at the European Court of Sport Arbitration 13 Geoff Thomas has been raising funds for Care Leukaemia by riding the Tour de France Advertisement Thomas said: 'It felt like a pipe dream for a club like Palace to get into Europe but with us sitting third during an incredible season everyone thought we were going to do it. 'Then all of a sudden when we qualified for Europe the ban was lifted on a great side. There's no getting away from that. We were devastated. 'Everyone wanted Liverpool to be in Europe — but they were banned for crowd trouble.' It had a devastating effect on Palace's fortunes which eventually saw them relegated two years later. Advertisement Thomas, who made 195 appearances for the Eagles, said: 'We went on to lose key players like Ian Wright, Mark Bright and Andy Gray. 'We had a good nucleus of a side with players like Nigel Martyn and John Salako. 'Had we got into Europe that would obviously have allowed us to increase our player power in the transfer market. 13 The Palace team that went on to finish a club-record third in the top flight Advertisement 13 Crystal Palace's legendary manager Steve Coppell had huge stars such as Mark Bright and Ian Wright among his ranks 13 Geoff Thomas was one of Crystal Palace's most influential players 'And it would have helped get Selhurst Park up to some sort of order. It would've given us the perfect opportunity to redevelop the ground.' Thomas believes it was a watershed moment for the club - and added: 'We had just narrowly missed out on winning the FA Cup in our first season in the top flight in 1990 and then we finished third. Advertisement 'It just felt like we were a team that was really gelling and building. We were a group of guys who probably, in some ways, had a last chance to make a name for ourselves. 'And collectively, we were doing that. We were such a tight bunch and so similar. 'I can see many similarities to our present-day squad in terms of the characters and skills.' Thomas believes the 1991 team could have gone on made a name for themselves on the continent. Advertisement 13 The Palace 1991 team also won the old Full Members Cup at Wembley He said: 'It's always hard to say once an opportunity is gone — but we had the abilities in that squad to really upset some of the bigger European clubs at that time. 'So we'll never know exactly what would've happened and that's why it was so frustrating. And the same can be said with this present team.' Chairman Steve Parish is appealing the decision by taking it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Advertisement Yet in a worst-case scenario Palace will at least compete in the Europa Conference League, which Chelsea and West Ham have won. But Thomas rapped: 'Yes but it feels you must go very deep into that competition, probably the semi-finals, before you can get any sort of atmosphere or excitement. 'The earlier games just feel like another match and more trauma on the pockets of fans. 'Palace supporters deserve better than this. They've been a real force behind this team's success, building a huge reputation for being the most vocal and should be looking forward to playing some of Europe's top teams.' Advertisement Geoff's incredible Tour de France triumph 13 GEOFF THOMAS will cycle into Paris on Sunday completing a staggering SEVENTH Tour de France spanning 2,074 miles. The 60-year-old former Crystal Palace star was marking the 20th anniversary of his first appearance at the event just months after he miraculously beat blood cancer. Thomas is raising funds for Cure Leukaemia, founded by Prof Charlie Craddock, who helped save his life. Advertisement Thomas was initially given THREE MONTHS to live in 2003 but Craddock put him on chemotherapy treatment that took his life expectancy back to three years — before performing a stem cell transplant from his sister Kay that put him in remission in 2005. Yet having competed in six Tours, his last one four years ago, he feared his cycling days were over when he got grade four arthritis in his knees. Thomas said: 'Premier League medical advisor Mark Gillett told me about a hydrogel injection called Arthrosamid that he could give me through a company called Regener8 Healthcare. 'It gave me instant relief in January and after a couple of weeks I was back on my bike training for this. Advertisement 13 Geoff Thomas has been competing in his SEVENTH Tour De France and raised down the years millions for Care Leukaemia 13 Crystal Palace legend Geoff Thomas cycling through the streets of France 'I've not been able to train as much as the other guys but wanted to be involved as it's not only 20 years ago I went into remission and rode this event but have reached the grand old age of 60. 'My dad died at 60 just a few weeks after being diagnosed with lung cancer so it was all very poignant. Advertisement 'He smoked 80 cigarettes a day. I thought he lived happily throughout his life, maybe naively, but having reached 60 myself there is so much more to look forward to. So this was a little nod to him.' Thomas has enjoyed cycling down the years and has raised millions of pounds for Care Leukaemia. And he tells a great story about the time his ex-Palace team-mate Ian Wright joined him and John Salako in a charity ride from London to Paris. He said: 'It put him off cycling. Wrighty is always a bundle of fun — but when he was on a bike he wasn't! Advertisement 'He wasn't very good. He had his good mate Mitchell Thomas trying to look after him — but just kept falling off his bike. On one occasion he went headlong into a bush! 'Wrighty has since retired from cycling!'
