Kris Boyd slams Rangers recruitment, says Michael Beale will face scrutiny after strikers flop v Celtic
Kris Boyd slammed Rangers’ recruitment and said the club have particularly failed to improve their forward line despite a heavy recruitment drive.
Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers and Abdallah Sima were all brought to the Ibrox by Michael Beale this summer, although have struggled to adapt to life in Scotland so far.
And their woes weren’t helped when Beale’s men lost the first Old Firm derby of the season as Celtic picked up a valuable 1-0 win at Ibrox on Sunday (3 September). Speaking after the match, Boyd questioned the business done by the Gers this summer.
“These guys were (bought for) £2.5million, £4million – Danilo was £6million. They’re not signing development players here. You look at Ryan Kent last year, and Alfredo Morelos obviously got stick as well, but you look at right now have they improved? Have Rangers improved in that area? Not for me,” Boyd said live as a pundit on Sky Sports (3 September).
“It’s down to recruitment, if you don’t get it spot on you’re going to come under scrutiny and that’s exactly where Michael Beale finds himself at this moment in time. He’s been backed and he’s gonna have to face the questions or answer the questions that’s going to be asked of him.”
Hard to disagree
While it is still very early in the season, it is incredibly difficult to argue against what Boyd is saying. None of the new additions to the squad have hit the ground running and, as a result, Rangers now find themselves fourth in the division, already four points behind Brendan Rodgers’ men, who occupy the top spot.
They have been beaten in the league twice in just four games and were humiliated in their UEFA Champions League qualifier by PSV, as last season’s Eredivisie runners-up dumped them out of the competition with a comprehensive 5-1 victory in the Netherlands. Not an ideal start for Beale.
Lammers has just one goal and one assist in eight appearances since arriving in Glasgow, while Sima has managed two in seven and Dessers has two in eight. Meanwhile, Danilo has two in nine, and Beale will need these numbers to increase soon if they are to have any hope of salvaging their campaign.
In other Rangers news, Neil Lennon has slammed one star following the defeat to Celtic.