Barry Ferguson admits he is a huge admirer of Cyriel Dessers’ determination to succeed at Rangers against a backdrop of flak since signing in the summer.
And the Gers striker even forced Ferguson out of his sofa with sheer delight after scoring a fantastically taken goal against Hibs on Wednesday evening.
Well-documented criticism has been aimed at Dessers this season for his lack of quality and inability to finish big opportunities when they arrive at his feet.
The £4.5m Nigerian recruited from Cremonese in the summer has improved significantly under manager Philippe Clement, however, and his goal record at Rangers isn’t to be sniffed at either.
Dessers now has six goals and three assists in his last 11 league games so is definitely turning a corner at the Ibrox club. And that is despite the competition he now faces for the No9 striker spot given Fabio Silva’s arrival on loan.
And you know Dessers’ fortunes have changed when Rangers fans now have a song for the 29-year-old which was sung in the away end at Easter Road in midweek.
Ferguson is loving Dessers’ redemption arc and has always been desperate for him to do well in a Light Blue jersey. And in his latest Daily Record column, the 45-year-old has praised Dessers’ commitment to the cause and thinks that will stand him in good stead to success at Rangers.
Barry Ferguson on Cyriel Dessers
Barry Ferguson wrote: “After months of wondering if the big man is ever going to cut it as a centre forward at Ibrox they’re (the fans) now calling him CD9.
“OK, there’s a bit of tongue in cheek about it. I don’t think anyone is seriously comparing Dessers with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo all of a sudden, the original CR7.
“But I’m on board with it anyway because I believe it shows there’s a lot of affection and good will out there for a guy who looks to me as if he’s desperate to prove himself as a Rangers striker.
“I’d even go as far as to say I’ve got huge admiration for the guy because I’ve sat inside that dressing room and seen plenty of others crumble under the weight of pressure that’s been on his shoulders since he arrived at the club in the summer.
“It’s not a matter of trying to sugar coat anything where his performances have been concerned. I think he knows himself that he’s got off to a slow start in that No.9 shirt. He’s a had a number of games that he’d probably rather forget too.
“But the thing I like about him is that I’ve never once seen him go int his shell or try to hide. When he’s missed a chance he should have scored, he just rolls the sleeves up and gets on with it.
“That was the case again at Dumbarton in the Scottish Cup last weekend when he should probably have helped himself to a hat-trick in the first half.
“But he didn’t let his head go down or start to feel sorry for himself. He kept coming back for more until he had hit the back of the net – and that shows me that the guy has the hunger and the heart required to play a big part in what Philippe Clement is putting together.
“I’ve listened to one or two of the interviews he’s done in recent weeks and it seems clear to me that he certainly gets what it means to pull on that shirt. And, believe me, that’s half the battle.
“After some of the stick he’s had to endure over the first few months of the season it might have been easier for him to skulk away and think about playing his football somewhere else to give himself a bit of an easier ride.
“When Clement came in he could have asked the new manager for a quiet word and asked to be allowed to leave on loan. But while that turned out to the best solution for Sam Lammers – who had a similarly difficult start to his Rangers career – Dessers simply doesn’t look like a man who is prepared to give this club up just so easily.
“To his credit, he’s dug in and stood his ground. And I’m guessing he’ll have been disappointed on Wednesday night when he realised he wasn’t holding onto his starting place against Hibs, despite eventually getting his goal at the weekend.
“Yes, he’ll be looking at Lammers leaving the club to go back to Holland on loan and he’ll have seen Fabio Silva come in from Wolves with an eye on his position leading the line.
“But when he got the chance to come off the bench he grabbed it with both hands and scored a goal which we’d all be raving about had anyone else in the country come up with a finish as cool as that.
“Honestly, I jumped up off my sofa when he tucked it away because – like so many other Rangers fans – I’m genuinely desperate to see him turn things around. I also truly do believe there’s a player in there.”
