Phil Boersma
Encyclopedia
Philip 'Phil' Boersma is an ex-professional footballer, who played as a midfield/striker for Liverpool
and Middlesbrough
among others.
on the 24 September, it was a League Cup
3rd round fixture against Manchester City
at Maine Road
, Boersma came off the substitutes bench in the 67th minute but couldn't help turn things around with the Reds eventually losing 3-2.
He went on loan to Wrexham for 7 games in the March of 1970 before returning to Liverpool to bag his first goal on the 4 April against Dinamo Bucharest at the 23 August Stadium, Phil came off the bench to replace Alun Evans
after 15 minutes scoring in the 47th, the goal helped the Reds draw the European Fairs Cup
2nd round, 2nd leg tie 1-1. The Reds had already won the 1st leg at Anfield
3-0 making the aggregate score 4-1.
Boersma didn't make one of the striking positions his own but he could always be relied on when he was required. He was a prominent figure during Liverpool's run to the 1973 UEFA Cup
final, bagging 4 goals on the way, Phil gained a medal although he was a non-playing sub during the first leg at Anfield, he did, however, see 13 minutes of the 2nd leg when he came on for Steve Heighway
. The Reds also won the First Division title with Boersma contributing 7 goals from just 14 appearances, enough to earn him a medal.
1974 turned out to be a season of mixed emotions for Boersma, it started out like any other he featured in 22 of Liverpool's games, but scored just 4 times, this included 5 appearances and 1 goal during the F.A Cup run which took the Merseyside
rs to Wembley. The final proved to be the lowest point of Phil's season, and probably career, expecting to get the nod for the substitute role he was overlooked for Chris Lawler
, a full-back.
Boersma didn't take the news to well and angrily left Anfield vowing he'd never wear the red of Liverpool again. Liverpool and Boersma managed to work things out and it proved to be a turning point for the player, he started the following campaign in goalscoring form starting with the Reds goal in the Charity Shield win over Leeds United
, although game finished 1-1, Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties.
He then scored a brace against Chelsea
at Stamford Bridge
on the last day of August, this was followed a week later by a first half hat-trick
against Tottenham Hotspur
at Anfield, he got a single in a League Cup
win over Brentford
and 2 more in the record 11-0 win over Strømsgodset I.F in the European Cup
, his 10th goal in this free-scoring period came against Stoke City
, unfortunately, the goals then dried up and he didn't hit the target for the remainder of the season.
Always on the fringes of the first team, mainly due to the Keegan
/Toshack
partnership and a youngster called David Fairclough
, Boersma failed to make an impact on the 1975/76 season for the Anfield club and Bob Paisley
allowed him to leave Liverpool in the December of '75.
He left for Teesside
joining Middlesbrough
for £72,000 where he played generally as a midfielder, he made his debut for Middlesbrough on 6 December '75 in a 0-0 draw at Ayresome Park
with Manchester United
. During his short 2 year spell at Boro he played 47 league games scoring 3 times. It was at Middlesbrough where Phil struck up a friendship with a certain Graeme Souness
, this friendship would pay dividends for Boersma later on in his career.
Boersma left Middlesbrough in the August of 1977 and head to Kenilworth Road
and Luton Town
where he scored 8 goals in 36 league games.
He left Luton to join up with former club colleague John Toshack who was in charge of Welsh
club Swansea City, it was during his time at Swansea that Phil suffered a broken ankle in a game against Swindon Town
Luton
.
Since retiring, Boersma moved into physiotherapy and coaching. He was appointed first team coach and then Assistant Manager at Swansea City, at a time when the Welsh side was rising up the Divisions from the old Division Three (League One) to what is now the Premiership. After leaving Swansea in 1983, he spent time at Lincoln City as Assistant Manager, before linking up with Souness again as physio at Rangers
before taking on coaching roles under Souness at their former club Liverpool they then moved on to Southampton
, Blackburn Rovers
and Newcastle United
. Boersma was sacked from Newcastle after it was discovered that he had been out drinking prior to Newcastle's FA Cup
semi final against Manchester United in Cardiff
.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
among others.
Life and playing career
He began his career with Liverpool, signing his first contract in September 1968, he made his debut in 19691969-70 in English football
The 1969–70 season was the 90th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Everton won their seventh title, finishing nine points clear of Leeds United with Chelsea in third and newly promoted Derby County in fourth...
on the 24 September, it was a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
3rd round fixture against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
, Boersma came off the substitutes bench in the 67th minute but couldn't help turn things around with the Reds eventually losing 3-2.
He went on loan to Wrexham for 7 games in the March of 1970 before returning to Liverpool to bag his first goal on the 4 April against Dinamo Bucharest at the 23 August Stadium, Phil came off the bench to replace Alun Evans
Alun Evans
Alun William Evans is an English former footballer who made his name as a centre forward in the Liverpool side rebuilt by Bill Shankly at the start of the 1970s. He was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.-Career:...
after 15 minutes scoring in the 47th, the goal helped the Reds draw the European Fairs Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
2nd round, 2nd leg tie 1-1. The Reds had already won the 1st leg at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
3-0 making the aggregate score 4-1.
Boersma didn't make one of the striking positions his own but he could always be relied on when he was required. He was a prominent figure during Liverpool's run to the 1973 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
final, bagging 4 goals on the way, Phil gained a medal although he was a non-playing sub during the first leg at Anfield, he did, however, see 13 minutes of the 2nd leg when he came on for Steve Heighway
Steve Heighway
Stephen Derek "Steve" Heighway is a former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
. The Reds also won the First Division title with Boersma contributing 7 goals from just 14 appearances, enough to earn him a medal.
1974 turned out to be a season of mixed emotions for Boersma, it started out like any other he featured in 22 of Liverpool's games, but scored just 4 times, this included 5 appearances and 1 goal during the F.A Cup run which took the Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
rs to Wembley. The final proved to be the lowest point of Phil's season, and probably career, expecting to get the nod for the substitute role he was overlooked for Chris Lawler
Chris Lawler
Chris Lawler is a former footballer who enjoyed much of Liverpool's success of the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
, a full-back.
Boersma didn't take the news to well and angrily left Anfield vowing he'd never wear the red of Liverpool again. Liverpool and Boersma managed to work things out and it proved to be a turning point for the player, he started the following campaign in goalscoring form starting with the Reds goal in the Charity Shield win over Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, although game finished 1-1, Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties.
He then scored a brace against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
on the last day of August, this was followed a week later by a first half hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
at Anfield, he got a single in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
win over Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
and 2 more in the record 11-0 win over Strømsgodset I.F in the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, his 10th goal in this free-scoring period came against Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
, unfortunately, the goals then dried up and he didn't hit the target for the remainder of the season.
Always on the fringes of the first team, mainly due to the Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
/Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
partnership and a youngster called David Fairclough
David Fairclough
David Fairclough is a retired English footballer, most famous for playing for Liverpool as a striker during the 1970s and 80s.-Life and playing career:...
, Boersma failed to make an impact on the 1975/76 season for the Anfield club and Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley
Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
allowed him to leave Liverpool in the December of '75.
He left for Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
joining Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
for £72,000 where he played generally as a midfielder, he made his debut for Middlesbrough on 6 December '75 in a 0-0 draw at Ayresome Park
Ayresome Park
-External links:**-References:...
with Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. During his short 2 year spell at Boro he played 47 league games scoring 3 times. It was at Middlesbrough where Phil struck up a friendship with a certain Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
, this friendship would pay dividends for Boersma later on in his career.
Boersma left Middlesbrough in the August of 1977 and head to Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
and Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
where he scored 8 goals in 36 league games.
He left Luton to join up with former club colleague John Toshack who was in charge of Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
club Swansea City, it was during his time at Swansea that Phil suffered a broken ankle in a game against Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
Luton
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
.
Since retiring, Boersma moved into physiotherapy and coaching. He was appointed first team coach and then Assistant Manager at Swansea City, at a time when the Welsh side was rising up the Divisions from the old Division Three (League One) to what is now the Premiership. After leaving Swansea in 1983, he spent time at Lincoln City as Assistant Manager, before linking up with Souness again as physio at Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
before taking on coaching roles under Souness at their former club Liverpool they then moved on to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
and Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
. Boersma was sacked from Newcastle after it was discovered that he had been out drinking prior to Newcastle's FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi final against Manchester United in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Honours
- Division 1Football League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(Level 1): 1973,1976 - UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: 1973 - Charity Shield: 1974