Cyriel Dessers’ candid Rangers interview deserves respect

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Ibrox Noise

·26 May 2024

Cyriel Dessers’ candid Rangers interview deserves respect

Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers has explained that, without directly referring to it, the ‘toxicity’ this season between Rangers fans and the squad is unhelpful and the players need ‘love’.

In his long-reaching interview recently on the topics of his season and debut performances with Rangers, the Belgian-born Nigerian admitted he thrived on when fans love him, and it’s only human nature to struggle with abuse and being hated.

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And as Ibrox Noise regulars will attest, this group has been one of the few to try to back the man up, support him, and cut him slack as much as we can.

Dessers knows he has blown some big chances, he’s well aware of that, but the human aspect is unique in that we rarely get to hear footballers speak of their innermost feelings, and the way Dessers spoke deserves a little respect.

He said:

“Now you tell me this thing (about my stats) and then I think I’m not the worst player ever at Rangers. You’re not even fully settled down and people already want to get rid of you or are actively hating on you, especially when it’s from your own fans, it’s really hard. If it’s the press, it doesn’t bother me too much. But if it’s your own fans, it hurts you. You’re a human being. Strikers, they’re like a special kind of personality. They’re at their best with love. Not one player in the world is better when you whistle him off the pitch. Once you’re getting these little bits of love, you start to grow as a player and you become better and better. There were months that were really tough for me.”

We don’t disagree. And we’re as guilty on Ibrox Noise as any other fans of attacking and ‘hating’ on players we just don’t like. We’ve been particularly hard on Ibrox captain James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, and John Lundstram, not to mention Nico Raskin and even Ross McCausland.

We admit like other fans we’ve been brutal on many players.

But Dessers is right – as much as we want to deny it, being brutal on these players isn’t going to help their self esteem.

It doesn’t matter if they’re on £20,000 a week, money doesn’t buy happiness. Look at the tragic case of golf’s Grayson Murray who (allegedly) committed suicide through depression, despite playing the sport he loved and being paid pretty well for that.

Bottom line, emotion will always be prominent – it will be hard to ‘love’ a player that fundamentally you simply do not like, no matter how well he ‘perceivably’ plays.

But Dessers isn’t wrong – hating and booing a player isn’t going to make them play better.

Especially not a striker.