Five-time Scottish Premiership Golden Boot winner Kris Boyd knows how it feels to shoulder the burden of goalscoring at a club of the size of Rangers.
But Rangers could never have been accused of putting all of their eggs in the Boyd basket.
During the 2007/08 season, for instance, Nacho Novo, Jean-Claude Darcheville and Daniel Cousin all hit double figures in Rangers colours. Kenny Miller would return to Ibrox the following summer, further easing the pressure on Kris Boyd’s shoulders.
Flash forward to 2024, however, and as Boyd watches Cyriel Dessers trying to handle the burden almost all on his own, he is left with a feeling of ‘rather you than me’.
Because, honestly, how many players in Philippe Clement’s squad can realistically be expected to hit double figures this term? Danilo simply can’t stay fit long enough. Hamza Igamane is promising – Nedim Bajrami believes the Rangers youngster can become a ‘top player’ – but he is also extremely raw.
Wingers Bajrami, Ross McCausland and Rabbi Matondo may end up around the five-to-ten mark, meanwhile, but maybe no higher.
And, speaking to the Scottish Sun, Boyd feels that the criticism which often comes Dessers’ way should be contextualised by the fact that, really, Rangers should have someone else helping him to carry the can.
Rangers hero Kris Boyd hits back at ‘unfair’ Cyriel Dessers critics
“There is a dearth of strikers. And it means the ones who are still around have to carry all the responsibility,” Boyd argues. “During my career, I always played with a strike partner who would share the burden. Guys like Kenny Miller.
“In fact, look at all the top-scoring forwards in Scottish football’s modern era and they tended to play in a two. People still talk about [Ally] McCoist and [Mark] Hateley, and [Henrik] Larsson and [Chris] Sutton.
“Now, all of a sudden you are a one-man band up front. That leads to unfair pressure on the lone striker and the same goes for Cyriel Dessers at Rangers.”
Dessers scored a wonderful equaliser as an impressive Rangers secured a well-deserved Europa League point at Olympiakos.
And the manner in which he took the chance – stepping inside a sprawling centre-half with one of those trademark shimmies before fizzing into the bottom corner – was emblematic of a man who’s confidence had returned.
Dessers has always been a rather patchy finisher during his time at Rangers. Before netting against Motherwell on Sunday and following that up with another in Greece, the Nigerian had endured an eight-match barren streak in all competitions.
Dessers admittedly squandered a couple of opportunities at Olympiakos too before converting Vaclav Cerny’s assist just past the hour.
But Boyd agrees with Jack Butland when the goalkeeper said on Thursday night that striker deserves a lot more respect given that it is realistically only he who can be counted on to find the target regularly enough.
Jack Butland stands up to Dessers doubters
“[Butland] was spot on when he spoke about the responsibility placed on Dessers every three days, playing up there by himself,” Boyd adds. “The Rangers striker can be frustrating but he is a better player than people give him credit for.
“Yet, speak to a lot of Rangers fans on Friday morning and they would have said; ‘We could have beaten Olympiacos had Dessers taken his chances’.
“Dessers will go through good and bad spells, but he’s now on 31 goals in 73 Rangers appearances. That’s not a bad record and you need to remember how much of a burden he has had to carry during the last 18 months.
“More of his Rangers team-mates need to step up and contribute in the coming months. He can’t do it all alone.”
The good news is that, with the silky smooth Cerny hitting the goal trail of late and with Danilo back in action again, Dessers will hopefully now has someone to share the load.
