B B C Sports: The two sides of ‘bulletproof’ Rangers striker Dessers.
Cyriel Dessers has spent more time than he would like on the Rangers bench lately.
It’s partly due to the rise of Hamza Igamane. Part of the reason for this is the striker’s inconsistency. And it has sparked discussion about his future at Ibrox. The Nigerian was linked with a move abroad this month, but he started and finished the 5-0 Scottish Cup victory over Fraserburgh. Dessers had a profitable afternoon, scoring a hat-trick, assisting, wearing the captain’s armband, and winning the BBC Scotland player-of-the-match award. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old’s Rangers career could be nearing its end.
Plenty goals, but plenty missed chances
Highland League Part-Timers Fraserburgh put up a fight, especially in the first half. Given the opportunities created by the Ibrox side, you would expect a Rangers striker to score against that level of opposition. In the early phases of this victory, Dessers was presented with an obvious opportunity. He skewed it way off aim. The offside flag was raised, but the goal could have stood if it had been scored.
Compare that moment to his clinically taken goals. Compare it to a late cameo against Aberdeen in the 3-0 midweek win, where he toyed with a defender before dispatching the ball crisply into the corner. Lethal.
Dessers is unpredictable from moment to moment. That’s 16 goals for the season as of mid-January, with a shot conversion rate of 27.5%. Another 22 last season after arriving from Italian side Cremonese in summer 2023 is not to be taken lightly. However, that came with a strike rate of 16.5%. That’s a fair number of missed opportunities. His numbers are more than respectable, yet he continues to upset his own fans, leaving manager Philippe Clement scratching his head. “I think it’s just the life of a striker, you will miss some chances,” Dessers told BBC Scotland after the Fraserburgh encounter.
“You just have to stay in the game and I know chances will come and then I have to make the next one.”
Has Dessers got ‘bulletproof mentality’?
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Dessers misses glorious chance for Rangers
Captain James Tavernier has also had to deal with the complaining of Rangers fans on occasion. Speaking after the game, he commended Dessers’ ability to “always rise above” the cacophony and expressed his satisfaction that his teammate had been recognised for his efforts. Scott Arfield, a former Rangers player and member of BBC Scotland’s punditry team for the game, echoed these comments. “I think 25,000 in here love him and 25,000 don’t but he comes across as very relatable, very likeable,” Arfield told the crowd. “And he seems like a terrific teammate. “When a good striker misses an opportunity, they don’t care. They have this selfishness. He returns for more, which is exactly what you want.
Arfield also drew an interesting comparison with a player both he and Tavernier played with at Ibrox.
“I played here with Alfredo Morelos and he genuinely didn’t care how bad he was in games. It was his greatest attribute because he just went back for more.
“I was a player that might have that wee level of, maybe, insecurity, but the best people haven’t got it.
“They’ve just got this absolute bulletproof mentality. And Dessers has a bit of that.”
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