A Royal Antwerp fan has found his way deep inside the Rangers camp.
Fortunately for Steven Gerrard and the Rangers team, that man is Thomas Carpels, the sports science specialist who is part of the support staff at Auchenhowie.
He has jokingly stated that he cannot lose over the Europa League encounter but in a refreshing show of honesty for a supporter turned professional, he is hoping for ‘The Great Old’ to get the better of his employers.
Carpels is reported to have said:
“My colleagues and all the players know that Antwerp is the team close to my heart. They’ve all teased me about it.”
“But they know why I support them and know I am not a glory-hunter because I have been going to the Bosuilstadion since when I was a kid and when they went through hard times.”
“Even though I can only go a couple of times a year, I am still a season ticket holder. I was at the European match against AZ Alkmaar last year and had to get a flight at 6am to get back to Glasgow so I could be back in time for training.”
“So I have to be very careful here in Glasgow when I talk about ‘we’!”
“As a lifelong supporter, I want Antwerp through to the next round but I also have to be loyal to my employer so I hope Rangers achieve as much success as possible.”
“But let me put it this way, if Antwerp eliminates Rangers, I won’t cry! They’re keeping a close eye on me – that way, the chance of me putting something in their food is small!”
In what will be a memorable double-header for the specialist to watch, the Rangers backroom team member provided insight on his own journey.
“I played at Antwerp for three years in the Under 19s in the generation before Ritchie De Laet. After football, I obtained a master’s degree and wanted to go to the UK because I knew they focussed on the scientific guidance of football players.”
“I assist the coaches at Rangers and monitor the performance of the players on the field, during training and their fitness. We analyse the data and compile schedules based on that. We also work on their lifestyle, arranging everything to do with recovery, sleep and nutrition.”
On this occasion only, we hope very much that Thomas Carpels’ side loses and that he is an unhappy man in a personal sense.
His professional duty will follow follow on.