27 May 2026 13:36:34
As buzzing as I am re shankland, if must admit u really miss big Cyril. He was the absolute professional at Rangers, even when fans were on his back he banged them in week after week. The old saying "you don't know what you've got until it's gone"
One of the best cf we had in a long time ?.
27 May 2026 14:07:08
He did what was asked of him, BoyBlue.
Scored goals - 52 in 116 games.
Never spat the dummy out like others.
Now, if the benchmark is to score approximately 1 in 2 without missing any chances, then all our future strikers will be judged and vilified on these parameters.
27 May 2026 14:11:51
Even that's not enough for us MPH, someone gets 20, we want 30, and then it's still not good enough.
27 May 2026 14:34:38
Not allowed to miss a chance despite no striker ever scoring every chance; I am intrigued to see if Shankland gets it in the neck as much when he misses his 4 chances before scoring. Not that I want him to, as I don't understand that mentality, but interested to see what happens.
27 May 2026 14:40:59
Mental Angus, Haaland and Kane scores everytime
27 May 2026 14:55:46
He certainly did MPH. I was one that maybe didn't appreciate him at first, but he shut me up very quickly. I grew to really admire and appreciate what he brought to our club, especially with 50, 000 groaning at every missed opportunity. Big man just got on with the job in hand, which is totally admirable.
Wish him well in his future. ?
27 May 2026 14:57:57
10 chances, Cyriel. ? I liked the big man and wish him all the best, but he never was quite good enough for Rangers. A frustrating player to watch, and, more often than not, the ones he missed cost us massively.
27 May 2026 15:40:42
Dessers has the same conversion rate as Shankland though, so is he good enough for us. ?
27 May 2026 15:51:00
Whether Dessers was good enough or not, it was probably the right thing to do to sell him in hindsight, seeing as he spent the majority of last season out injured, the longest one having been picked up at the African Cup of Nations (just in case anyone suggests he might not have got injured if he was still playing with us).
So he wouldn't have been much help last season, and now his value will have dropped quite a lot too. ?
27 May 2026 16:06:40
If you watched Dessers closely, he had other weaknesses in his all round game. He struggled to play the press, and also struggled linking up play. That's why we got rid of him.
27 May 2026 16:19:56
And Shankland struggles to play the press. His link up is good. Not anything against Shankland, btw, just showing that no striker has everything. 1 goal every 2 games is a decent return, and he scored in important games despite your memory.
Time will tell if Shankland proves to be as good a signing. Time has already proved that CD was a good one, if unappreciated by many.
27 May 2026 16:28:22
Shankland is a leader and natural finisher, something Dessers will never be. He will be good for us. I recall a time Dessers had a return rate of 1 goal in 18 games. That's never good enough for a Rangers no9. How standards have slipped. ?
27 May 2026 16:33:33
The issue with Dessers was not just his finishing - it was that he didn't offer anything else to his game.
Personally, I think Shankland is a better finisher - but let's say they are on a par. Shankland's team work and link up play are infinitely better. He also knows how to use his strength and power.
Something Dessers had in abundance but didn't know how to use. Was constantly falling over trying to win fouls but not knowing how to.
That said, I will give him credit where due. He did work hard, and his positioning was good to allow him all those chances. And he was always smiling (even when he missed!)
27 May 2026 16:50:55
Goals, that's what he offered. What did the rest of the team offer him? You were all on here moaning, midfield's mince, defence is poor, nothing being created, no one pulling the strings, absolute mince.
It's all in the archives, have a look, yet it's one guy's fault. Pathetic.
27 May 2026 16:50:56
Shankland's conversion rate was 18.35% last season. 44% of his shots hit the target. That is less than 1 goal every 5 shots.
Dessers the season before scored 2 more goals in the league.
Had a 25% conversion rate and shot accuracy of just less than 60%. That is 1 goal every 4 shots.
Who sounds more natural there. ?
So Shankland misses more chances than Dessers.
27 May 2026 16:57:14
Doesn't fit the narrative, Angus. ?
27 May 2026 17:03:29
Every cf misses. Look at Shankland against Motherwell.
What hasn't been highlighted, Dessers made a lot of chances himself, but I do believe it was the right time for selling him, either that we would have got pennies, Dessers wasn't our problem in his time.
27 May 2026 17:25:15
Shankland's a far superior striker to Dessers in every department. ???
27 May 2026 17:41:28
Four lads, if you post it enough someone may agree with you, save you replying to your own posts.
27 May 2026 17:53:13
Jasp, I was actually replying to Angus. Thanks for policing the forum, though. I know we are in safe hands with an alert individual such as yourself on patrol. ?
27 May 2026 18:14:37
Fourlads, the stats show that Shankland isn't a better striker on shots on target or shot conversion or league goals for the last season at the most recent SPFL club, in fact the last 2 seasons really. Jasp is right, though, as no-one with any sense can argue on the facts provided with the stats, so you will just keep repeating the same trite statements without any substance to back them up apart from it being your opinion. I like a quote as some will know so here is for you: Opinions are like a*******; everybody has one and they usually stink, so I prefer where possible to look at facts.
I await next season when we lose a game (as we will) and Shankland misses a chance (as he will) and it will be the same fans getting irate as were with Dessers. It will be the same handful who are defending Dessers who will be defending Shankland. Fans who see the benefits players bring and not just their weaknesses. Such is life.
27 May 2026 18:15:30
Shankland played for Hearts whilst scoring all these goals. Hearts created far less chances than Rangers per game, just Shankland is more clinical. It could take CD9 10-12 chances per game to score for Rangers, and obviously we were creating far more chances for him.
He wasn't clinical enough, imo, and we eventually got rid. I am glad we have got Shankland now. He is exactly the type of player we have been missing. Better late than never.
27 May 2026 18:29:10
As Zikos has said, Angus, the issue with Dessers wasn't just his finishing, it was his all round play and inability to link up and play the press. Shankland does all that and was a club captain and leader on top of it.
We shall see this season when Shankland scores a barrowload for us. He doesn't take 12 chances to hit the back of the net.
27 May 2026 18:44:06
Fourlads, but you said that he was a superior striker in every department and now you have changed that. Dessers could press, but we didn't press as a team. Dessers was average at hold up, but he could do it; he also just had to do it 50 yards from any other player.
I read on here for someone who knows being a current coach that Shankland can't press but can hold the ball up. Two seasons ago when Hearts played Vargas ahead of him he scored 4 league goals. So, if like then he plays deeper for us next season, with Chermiti ahead, our fans will expect more, no matter what other elements to his game he has.
Remember Chermiti's work deep earlier this season and the criticism he got.
No, and you are right, he doesn't take 12 chances to score, he takes 5+. Whereas Dessers took 4 chances. You do know that 4 is lower than 5, surely.
Anyway, no point arguing the same points and providing facts when that person doesn't read and comprehend. btw I am a Shankland fan and hope he does score a barrowload but so did Dessers. ?
27 May 2026 18:48:09
For all Dessers goals he was still a bit of a joke figure to other teams, wasn't he. I've never heard anyone call Shankland a joke figure. Because they know he scores big goals in big games.
I wasn't keen on Dessers but I definitely appreciate him a bit more now. I'd still rather Shankland.
27 May 2026 18:54:06
If Dessers was playing in a successful team, he would have been a well loved hero.
Unfortunately, he wasn't in a successful team, and he missed some chances in a period where we couldn't afford to miss those chances, which led to a lot of "what-if's".
27 May 2026 19:17:26
Angus, Shankland is superior in every department. You post stats that suit your own argument, pal. Shankland was playing for a Hearts team when he scored all these goals. Dessers was playing for Rangers whereby we create 10 times more chances than Hearts. Don't patronise me just because I have a different opinion that doesn't suit your narrative.
27 May 2026 19:13:56
Angus you are banging your head against a brick wall mate it's pointless even when you provide facts they still think they are right when they are wrong ?
27 May 2026 19:37:09
Angus, stats can be used for any argument which is quite often the case.
Dessers misses 2/3 open goals with no keeper. 33% conversion rate.
Shankland misses 3 shots from 20yrds - 0%.
There is absolutely no context to a lot of football stats.
I wish folk would go back to watching football on the pitch rather than spreadsheets.
Seen one the other day about the about of yards covered by Rangers players.
Great. Doesn't say if they were attacking yards, tracking yards, sprinting, walking etc etc.
27 May 2026 19:45:40
Dessers was the model professional and I was a fan even though he had faults. You can bet your bottom dollar, if Shanks goes on a barren spell, the bears will be groaning.
27 May 2026 22:25:15
Zikos, I do and I saw the absolute sitter Shankland missed against Motherwell. I wish people wouldn't just spout an opinion claiming they see something and remember it when they don't remember what they had for lunch last Wednesday to criticise a player who scored 52 goals for us in twice that amount of matches. We all know he missed chances, but he wasn't solely responsible for losing leagues.
If he was a Rangers supporter who played for us, he would be given more credit, imo.
By the way, Shankland had more shots than Chermiti last year, so Hearts obviously did create chances for him. And yet Chermiti scored just one less league goal. That is the young lad who hadn't played any first team football for anyone other than 200+ minutes as a sub for Everton. Just saying like.