SOCCER: To Hell and back. . .

PHIL Boersma has seen the bloodletting first hand in the city they call Hell.

When Blackburn Rovers new coach went to work in Istanbul as right hand man to Graeme Souness, Galatasaray supporters used to sacrifice animals.

He was shocked and saddened to hear they had moved on to slaughtering innocent football fans this week.

In one of the worst nights of football violence for years, 37-year-old Christopher Loftus and pub landlord Kevin Speight -- both from Leeds -- were stabbed during scuffles in Istanbul centre.

The events have stunned the nation.

But after living and working in Turkey for 12 months, Thursday morning's headlines did not surprise Boersma.

"I never saw any trouble whilst I was out there but Istanbul is a very hostile place if you go in the wrong places.

"I still don't know what happened exactly so it is difficult for me to comment.

"But something like 14 million people live in the city itself and, if you go looking for trouble, you will certainly find it."

What really occurred in Turkey on Wednesday night may never be known.

But what remains abundantly clear is that vital lessons have to be learned.

"If any lessons are to be learned from the deaths of two Leeds United supporters in Istanbul on Wednesday night, authorities must recognise the political context of some matches in Europe and the differing fan cultures," said Dr Anthony King, a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Exeter.

"When English fans go to Istanbul, they are entering a highly volatile situation. "Matches are weighted with a symbolic political significance which even the sectarianism of Old Firm games cannot equal.

"This produces fierce rivalries between Turkish fans in the domestic league and becomes even more belligerent when Turkish teams play Western European opposition."

Boersma -- himself a veteran of Old Firm clashes -- admits it was something of a culture shock when he and Souness arrived in Turkey.

As they walked down the steps of their plane, they were greeted by a posse of fans who slit the throat of a sheep in front of their eyes before daubing the pair with the animal's blood.

"I just thought 'What the Hell is going on?'

"It was the first time I had seen an animal slaughtered in front of my eyes but to them it's just part and parcel of their culture.

"It was a very weird experience but it was a sign of respect.

"People say it's a trip to hell but a lot of that is showboating stuff.

"It did get a little bit nasty from time-to-time, with the throwing of coins and stuff, so you needed a lot of people around you.

"But I found the Turks were very emotional people who loved their football.

"We knew we were only going for one season anyway -- that was all arranged before we went out there.

"And I thoroughly enjoyed the experience."

The fact Boersma and Souness survived in such an undercurrent of hostility is largely down to the fact that both are men of substance.

They first met when Boersma moved from Liverpool to Middlesbrough in the mid 1970s. Immediately, they struck up a friendship and it was Boersma who told Souness that his old club were keen on securing his services.

Eventually, the Scot moved on to Anfield where he became a legend of the Kop but he never forgot his old friend.

So in 1986, when Souness was offered the chance to join Glasgow Rangers as player-manager, he invited Boersma to become part of his backroom staff.

It triggered the start of an amazing success story.

"Graeme virtually transformed the whole of Scottish Football," said Boersma.

"At the time, Rangers were playing in front of crowds of 15-18,000.

"Celtic had dominated for the last eight-10 years and nobody wanted to sell Rangers any Scottish players. So Graeme simply decided to buy in the market he knew best, which was English.

"And, as a result, it was the start of a whole new ball game -- they were exciting times."

Something of a hellraiser on the pitch, Souness was never afraid to show his teeth as a manager.

And that was never more evident than when he decided to flaunt sectarianism and sign Maurice Johnston -- the first Catholic ever to play for Rangers.

"That was a scalp and a half, really -- it took some guts," said Boersma.

"But you've also got to give a lot of credit to Maurice as well for having the balls to become the first catholic to play for Rangers."

After leading the Gers to three league titles and two Skol Cups wins, Souness quit Ibrox to become Kenny Dalglish's successor at Liverpool, taking Boersma with him. But the duo struggled to bring back the glories days of the Seventies and Eighties and left three years later.

Then the Galatasaray job came up and, once again, Boersma was by Souness's side as they masterminded a Turkish Cup final victory over Fenerbahce.

But Souness's post-match antics -- when he planted a Galatasaray flag in the centre circle -- provoked more response than the result itself.

"That all came about because of one of the Fenerbahce directors.

"He'd said in the press that he thought Galatasaray had brought in a cripple.

"So when Graeme grabbed hold of the flag and started running back he saw the same guy and thought 'Cripple, am I?' and then planted it in the centre circle.

"Then I think he realised what he had done and disappeared pretty sharpish."

A 12-month stint at Southampton then followed before the pair linked up at Benfica.

Again, it was colourful.

"They accused us of trying to get rid of all the Portuguese local lads so we could bring in the English.

"But that wasn't the case because the fact is, the last time they actually won something, they only had one Portuguese player in the side."

The adventure ended 18 months later but it was not long before they renewed acquaintances again when Souness was appointed manager at Blackburn last month.

The pair have a unique relationship.

So what can Rovers expect from Souness? Is he still the dressing room bully the national media portrayed him to be at Liverpool or has he mellowed?

"The stories weren't hyped.

"He was his own man and he worked with a passion," said Boersma.

"I'm not saying he doesn't still work with that same passion now.

"I just think he has decided to channel it in a way he sees fit, which is more controlled than kicking a TV in or throwing a tea-cup.

"But it's situations.

"Different things call for different reactions.

"He may have mellowed a bit over the last few years but, if a situation arises when he needs to act, then I'm sure he would.

"That kind of commitment will never die with Graeme."

But what about Boersma's role?

Due to the wear and tear of a 15-year career as a professional footballer -- which included stints at Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Luton and Swansea -- he is now 52 per cent disabled.

He also admits regular cortisone injections -- common practice for the treatment of injuries during the Seventies -- have contributed to his condition, meaning he cannot be as actively involved as he would like.

"I'm here to assist Graeme in whatever he wants.

"I can't really join in fully in training because I've only got one leg to play on these days. "But you can't look back and have any regrets.

"If somebody had said to me at 15 that you could have problems when you are 50, I wouldn't have listened.

"You don't even think about it because you just want to enjoy the moment and what goes with it."

Phil Boersma really is a man of substance.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.