Ex-Rangers star shares what he's heard about training in lead up to Celtic final
12/24/2024 03:46 AM
One of the main talking points after Rangers’ Premier Sports Cup final defeat to Celtic was Cyriel Dessers not taking a penalty.
The big striker took pelters for not stepping up to be one of the five takers as the Old Firm final went down to spot kicks after a thrilling 3-3 draw.
In the immediate aftermath, the Rangers number nine was slaughtered for not taking a penalty with pundits like Michael Stewart puzzled to see left-back Ridvan Yilmaz and keeper Jack Butland up ahead of him.
Yilmaz ended up being the one to have his effort saved by Kasper Schmeichel.
Even Gers fans joined in and claimed it was “unforgivable” from Dessers.
Philippe Clement leapt to his defence and explained the thinking behind having Yilmaz and Butland in the first five.
But that didn’t stop pundits continuing to pile in and Dessers was accused of having “no bottle”.
However, the narrative shifted at the weekend with a revelation from Stewart.
Hutton divulges Rangers training story
As reported by the Daily Record, Stewart explained on BBC Radio Scotland at the weekend that he had been told by a good source that Dessers DID want to take a penalty.
He’s revisited that claim when talking about Rangers‘ win over Dundee on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club.
Stewart said: “I heard on good authority that he did in fact (want to). He’d been practising all week and was up for it but it was the manager’s decision on the five penalty takers.”
Alan Hutton interjected with what he’d heard separately.
And he went on: “I heard that they had been practising them all week. I’ve been at teams before where you do that and every session they actually mark down where you put it, if you score, if you didn’t.
“And then they come up with ‘this guy’s got X per cent chance of scoring’.
“So that’s how they came up with Yilmaz taking one because he’s meant to be really good.
“But doing it in training and doing it in a cup final is completely different.”
Stewart had originally said he felt it was poor from Clement not to explain that it had been his call not to have Dessers in the five.
But he has changed his view.
He said: “It is completely different. But the thing is, I thought at the time it was poor of the manager not to come out and articulate his decision.
“But very quickly if the manager was to come out and say ‘I made the decision’, it moves swiftly on to ‘okay, so you think Butland and Yilmaz is a better option than your number nine striker?’
“It strikes at the whole bigger situation surrounding Dessers in that he’s not a number nine for Rangers. And ultimately now he’s not first choice, and Rangers as a whole look so much better.”
Dessers has January transfer interest
Stewart previously predicted that Rangers would sell Dessers in January with the whole situation showing how far he has slipped down the pecking order.
That is because he is reportedly attracting serious interest from French Ligue 1 side Saint-Ettiene.
Stewart said last week: "It's a valid talking point because he's Rangers' number nine. You'd expect that he's going to be standing up and taking a penalty.
"But I think it just goes to highlight the whole Dessers story at Rangers, in that guaranteed if he steps up to take it the Rangers supporters have got their heart in their mouth. They're thinking 'oh no' – they would be.
"Of course you do (expect Dessers to take).
"But to a certain extent, the players have got to feel it themselves and if Dessers is not feeling it, you cannot force him into taking a penalty.
"Again, the whole thing highlights what is clearly a deficiency. He has clearly dropped down the pecking order now anyway, but you cannot have your main number nine not able to step up and take one of the first five penalties in a massive game like that.
"[Hamza] Igamane has now made himself what you'd regard as the main striker at Rangers, Danilo is coming back and he's fit, scores a great goal by equalising in that last minute of the game.
"You'd imagine that they'll be looking at trying to offload Dessers, I'd think. I think it's plain and simple and they'd be looking to get somebody else in the door."
