Mikey Moore transformation at Rangers stuns after criticism on loan from Tottenham
Mikey Moore’s transformation at Rangers following a difficult start has seen at least one pundit change his tune.
Moore arrived at Ibrox on loan from Tottenham for the season in the summer but took some time to find his feet in Glasgow.
With Rangers in turmoil under Russell Martin early in the campaign Moore struggled but became increasingly key after Danny Rohl took over, and scored his first goal a month ago in the win over Dundee.
A frustratingly-timed injury then kept him out of the next three Scottish Premiership fixtures but Moore scored again on his return in the win at Kilmarnock at the weekend, where Bojan Miovski also netted twice.
Ross McCormack wowed by Moore turnaround
Former Rangers striker Ross McCormack was among those who weren’t impressed with teenager Moore when he initially found it hard under Martin.
But the Scot believes the Spurs youngster now looks like he’s grown up at Ibrox and physically looks different, as he cited the 18-year-old and his fellow scorer from the weekend as two of the major positives for Rohl at present.
Speaking live on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard McCormack said: “A couple of bright sparks for me is you’d think Miovski will come back into a little bit of form, scoring two goals.
“Mikey Moore, for me, I was quite critical of him at the start but for he looks a bit more like a man, as if he’s bulked up a little bit since he’s been here.
“So I think they’re two massive bright sparks for them.”
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Rangers season could be made or broken in December
Rohl has clearly improved the situation greatly since he, eventually, took over from Martin, but a pair of disappointing draws prior to the Kilmarnock win exposed enduring weaknesses.
The fact that the first points dropped in the league under the German came when he didn’t have Moore to call upon is probably no coincidence.
Michael Stewart defended Moore for his early difficulties after he made his goal-scoring comeback, claiming expectations were far too high in the first place for a player his age.
But now, having seemingly found his feet, the quality is starting to shine through, and he is likely to be key to what could be a season-defining stretch through December.
| Appearances | 18 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 2 |
After a Europa League tie with Ferencvaros on Thursday where the Gers have little more to play for than pride, Rohl’s men face Hibs, Hearts, and Motherwell one after another – currently consisting of the team immediately below them in fifth, the league-leaders and the team immediately above them in third.
Positive results against all three, at a time where Celtic may be wobbling from Wilfried Nancy’s appointment, could turn the table around hugely, but negative ones might end any hope of salvaging the campaign.
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