Kieran Dowell sparks rave media reviews after what he did away from Rangers
Kieran Dowell’s rollercoaster spell at Rangers culminated with him heading out on loan to Birmingham City in the winter transfer window.
The 27-year-old has never been a consistent performer in his season and a half at Ibrox, starting just three times in all competitions this term and his other 13 appearances coming off the bench.
That follows up a meagre six starts and 10 substitute cameos across his first season in Govan, and it was no surprise to see the English midfielder head back across the border to Birmingham in January.
Joining fellow loanee Ben Davies at St. Andrews after Birmingham also signed Scott Wright from the Gers last summer, the EFL League One side have plenty of Ibrox experience in their ranks.
Rangers loanee Kieran Dowell puts in ‘perfect’ Birmingham display
Dowell is certainly turning heads south of the border since his arrival at Birmingham, playing five times already and scoring his first goal for the club in their 4-0 rout of Cambridge United on Tuesday.
Birmingham Mail gushed over Dowell’s display (11 February), saying that his goal – a side-footed strike with his left foot to finish off a sweeping team move – has capped a “perfect start” to life at St. Andrews.
This verdict went a step further in BirminghamLive‘s player ratings, which labelled Dowell as a “delight” who looks “a cut above League One level”; despite arguing that he should have scored more than once.
That goal was described by The Scottish Sun (12 February) as Dowell’s “finest moment in a Blues shirt yet”, noting that having played just five games, Birmingham fans already want him to sign permanently.
Kieran Dowell dazzling after Rangers exit
As the storm clouds gather over Ibrox in the wake of the Gers’ history-making Scottish Cup loss to Queen’s Park on Sunday, several former and recent Bears are blossoming away from Govan.
Dowell is one of many players who appear to have been freed from the shackles of pressure at Rangers, with Rabbi Matondo acknowledging that his move to Hannover has helped lift a weight off his shoulders.
Along with Dowell’s new team-mates at Birmingham – Wright and loanee Davies – Todd Cantwell is another player thriving after forcing his way out of Ibrox late in the summer transfer window.
These players all have their reasons for discovering new leases of life after shedding the weight of the Light Blues’ jersey, but the current malaise at Ibrox suggests that their departures may be more deep-rooted than just a bid for more game-time.