johnnyk 158 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 FRANK LAMPARD says Rangers can cope with the red-hot Athens atmosphere and get a positive result against Panathinaikos like his Chelsea side did at Olympiacos. England midfielder Lamps came on for the last few minutes of the Blues' 0-0 Champions League draw at the Karaiskaki Stadium last night. Home fans in the capacity crowd made the ground a cauldron of noise and Gers are likely to face something similar at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium tomorrow. But Lampard believes Walter Smith's men have what it takes to handle fans' intimidation tactics and get the scoreline they need to advance to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup. A scoring draw would be enough to put Pana out on the away goals rule after the teams shared a goalless 90 minutes in Glasgow last Wednesday. Lampard said: "It is the type of atmosphere in Athens that every top player has to enjoy and Rangers have top players in their side. "You can't let the Greek fans have a detrimental effect on your game and you have to turn the way they act into a positive. "Even though the fans here support their teams very strongly, any player worth his salt will want to perform well in front of them. "The atmosphere will push them on and I don't think the Rangers players will have any problem." Lampard has first-hand experience of playing against Rangers, having taken part in Chelsea's 2-0 pre-season defeat to the Light Blues at Ibrox last summer. He has continued to monitor their progress since and points to the 3-0 Champions League win at Lyon in October as proof of what they can do in Europe. Lampard added: "I'm a Rangers fan actually and I definitely feel they can get past Panathinaikos and into the next round. "The progress the club has made in the Champions League this season shows exactly what they are capable of. "That is especially the case on their travels. We all saw what they did in Lyon and because of what happened then, I see no reason why Rangers can't advance. "Panathinaikos are a very strong side and similar to Olympiacos in that they are defensive away from home but they don't come out too much at home either. "They won't attempt to win by four or five goals. Instead, they'll try to wait for the right time to score and that really gives Rangers a chance if they start well." http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1245887,00.html 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 England midfielder Lamps came on for the last few minutes Spending time in the canteen again :fish: Fair play Lamps, quality player and that was a good read, and its nice to hear his support. He's still chunky though 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br1ndy 0 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Maybe finish his career at the gers? He is after all a "Rangers Fan" 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza_8 233 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Good player but past his best. Eating all those pies hasn't helped his career. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraser54 0 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Was shocked when he said he is a Rangers fan 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leppardized2001 0 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Gets in the box and gets the goals though....and over 100 goals for Chelski is no bad going for a midfielder. Are you watching Bazza???? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Maybe finish his career at the gers? He is after all a "Rangers Fan" Lampard and Gattuso in the centre of midfield!! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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