Mick Beale has stitched up Rangers with Sam Lammers | OneFootball

For some reason some Scottish press is trying to make a case for the return of Rangers striker Sam Lammers, having cited his form for Utrecht.

And that form was good, it was strong, no denying that he was probably Utrecht’s strongest player in the second half of last season.

But there’s a difference between doing it for a midtable Eredivisie side with modest pressure, and doing it at 55-champion Ibrox where a draw is the end of the world.

Lammers couldn’t handle the demands at Rangers, and before anyone (including himself) whines that he ‘wasn’t properly played as a striker’, he still managed 42 shots but just two goals.

So the position didn’t actually matter – his uselessness in front of goal did, and he only scored twice of 42 attempts in the league.

How many times was he through on goal and failed to convert? What difference would playing as outright 9 make to this?

The real problem Rangers have is offloading his wage.

No one outside of Holland wants Lammers – he has failed in every domestic league he’s played in aside the Netherlands, especially Scotland, so that reputation goes before him.

But all the clubs in Holland who do want him can’t afford the £22Kpw wage.

So for now, Rangers are actually stuck with him, unless a package can be compiled with some Dutch mob that compromises with all parties.

Lammers will have to accept a lesser wage, Rangers would have to accept a lesser fee…

In short, Michael Beale stitched Rangers up badly with this signing – he spent £3.5M on this guy, dumped him onto a massive 4-year deal at effectively over £1M a year, and that means Rangers still owe him £3M for the rest of the contract.

It’s a complete shambles, and it’s made shifting him incredibly hard to do.

Unless, Sam, you take that wage cut?

What’s more important, your salary or your career?