Cyriel Dessers has me jumping for Rangers joy and ‘CD9’ brings a loaded message for the cynics – Barry Ferguson.
Our columnist has his say on the striker who while under fire this term, has managed to nudge into double figures for goals.
It probably won’t surprise you to know that I don’t use social media.
To put it mildly, everyone is probably safer that way. However, I am aware that it exists and many of my friends inform me of the latest developments on it. I couldn’t help but smile when one of them informed me yesterday about Cyriel Dessers’ new moniker among Rangers supporters after he scored a goal at Easter Road on Wednesday night against Hibs. They are now referring to the big man as CD9 after months of questioning if he would ever be able to succeed at Ibrox as a center forward.
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 isn’t necessary to try to hide anything when it comes to his performances. I believe he is aware of his own lackluster performance thus far while wearing the No. 9 shirt. He’s played a few games that he would probably want to forget.
However, I like him since I’ve never once witnessed him try to hide or go into his shell. He simply rolls up his sleeves and continues when he’s missed an opportunity to score.
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.
Upon Clement’s arrival, he could have requested a private conversation with the newly appointed manager and requested permission to go on loan. Although it worked out well for Sam Lammers—who had a similarly challenging start to his Rangers career—Dessers doesn’t seem like a man who is willing to give up this team so lightly.
He deserves credit for sticking to his guns. Even if he did manage to score the goal over the weekend, I imagine he was frustrated on Wednesday night when he realized he wasn’t going to be able to maintain his starting position against Hibs.
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. OK, people will say he’s been hiding it well and I get that too. But he wouldn’t be the first striker to struggle to find his shooting boots for a while after moving to Ibrox.
Look at Mark Hateley as the perfect example. The big man became one of the most feared players in all of Europe during his time at Ibrox. But, for most of his first season in Glasgow, he was getting the same kind of treatment that Dessers has been copping since August.
I’m not saying Dessers belongs in the same category as Hateley either. But the comparison is valid nonetheless as it took him almost a year to really settle into life as a Rangers centre forward.
Like Dessers, Hateley didn’t shirk a thing during that time. He might have been struggling in front of goal but he wasn’t going to give up without a fight. And we all know how that turned out.
So I look at the effort and application that Dessers continues to put in every time he’s out on that pitch and I see a guy with a similar level of desire. Let’s not forget, he’s sitting on 12 goals midway through the season which is not bad for a player who’s been struggling for confidence.
Social media laps all this stuff up, of course. Sometimes people just can’t wait to have a kick at someone when they are down. But Dessers gets my respect and approval for being strong enough and determined enough to keep battling without letting his head go down.
Put it this way, that’s exactly the kind of attitude that Rangers are going to need throughout the entire squad if they are to go on from here to win the title this season so Dessers will do for me, all day long.
These men have the opportunity to close the lead to just two points before Celtic face off against Ross County at home tomorrow at noon in Paisley. St. Mirren will put some effort into it, but I have no doubt that they’ll bounce back with a victory later on. After that, it will be up to Brendan Rodgers and his team to handle some personal pressure.
As a player I took it for granted that Celtic would win all of their games. We knew we couldn’t take the foot off the gas and hope that they might slip up.
In the end, it came down to putting on the blinders and focusing on each of our unique efforts and results. We weren’t looking for someone else to pull a favor for us because we understood we had to get out there and take care of ourselves.
It’s Clement and his team that give me that impression right now. Before the Belgian arrived, they seemed to be out of the title race, but their persistent commitment has put them back in it. And that’s what will drive Dessers as he makes an effort to change a few people’s minds between now and May.
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