Rangers’ 36-goal hero of yesteryear would be a fine Dessers replacement

A 2004 Rangers hero is remembered in our Blast from the Past

strand, who they would want to call upon now.

Since taking over in mid-October, Philippe Clement has managed Glasgow Rangers,

and the team has won 20 of his 24 games across all competitions.

Towards the end of 2023, in the second Old Firm match of the season, the Light Blues’

lone loss came against Celtic.

The Ibrox team has been forced back into contention for the Premiership title by the Belgian boss,

despite a number of injury issues that had threatened to end the season near Christmas.

Despite the absence of eight players due to injury for the Christmas Eve match against Motherwell,

the Light Blues’ ability to persevere through the holiday season is a credit to his managerial prowess.

The 49-year-old coach was most severely impacted by his offensive options when Danilo sustained

a permanent injury against Hearts and Kemar Roofe had to be substituted out of the match against

St Johnstone after just 15 minutes because of another knock.

Will Clement and Cyriel Dessers have enough to lead Rangers to the league title even though Clement

bought Fabio Silva in the January transfer window to help his center-forward problems?

Cyriel Dessers’ season in numbers

Dessers paid over £4.5 million to join the Gers in the summer of last year, but after a string

of dubious performances, he hasn’t exactly proven worth the extravagant figure.

Despite having a respectable but unremarkable record of 12 goals and 7 assists in 35 games

for the team, the Nigerian striker’s time in Glasgow has not been particularly impressive.

The former Feyenoord striker can go games without touching the ball because he frequently

isolates himself for extended stretches of the game and struggles to connect with those around him.
The 29-year-old striker has wasted 13 great chances in 21 Premiership matches this season, ranking him

#1 out of all players in the Scottish top division. When he does have chances, the striker sometimes

takes two or three chances before striking the back of the net.

However, Silva has shown well whenever Clement has given him an opportunity, and over the weekend,

he scored the team’s second goal against Ayr United.

The young player may not be the all-around striker the squad sorely needs because he drops deep

frequently and occasionally wanders out wide to assist the team.

Can you picture, then, if Clement was able to enlist the services of a former Rangers

forward who matched Silva’s goal-scoring instincts with Dessers’ tremendous

work ethic when he was not in possession of the ball?

Dado Prso would be a complete threat to Premiership defenses throughout Scotland

if he were to play for the current Light Blues team, which is managed by the former AS Monaco boss.

Dado Prso’s Rangers statistics

Even though Prso was only at Ibrox for three complete seasons, the Gers faithful still talk

about him and his legacy today.

The Croatian center forward was essential to the Light Blues during Alex McLeish’s 2004–05 season,

even though he only appeared in 124 games for the team when he was in Scotland.

His inclusion in the starting lineup frequently provided a huge boost to the team during games.

With five games remaining and behind Celtic by five points, Rangers miraculously overcame

the elimination stage of the season to win the title on the last day of play thanks to the striker’s 17 goals

in 34 top-flight appearances.

Throughout the season, the “little and large” combination of Prso and Nacho Novo was frequently

too much for opposing defenses, and the 1-0 victory over Hibs is frequently referred to as “helicopter Sunday.”

While injury issues derailed the later stages of his time in Glasgow, Prso still managed to score 36 goals in all

competitions and if Clement had a player like that to call upon during the next few months, the majority of the Ibrox

faithful would feel a lot more confident.

Dado Prso would thrive under Philippe Clement

The former Monaco forward was a late bloomer, and he began to come to prominence during a spell

with the French side, especially in the 2003/04 campaign where he scored four goals in a Champions League

clash against Deportivo La Coruna, leading McLeish to sign him on a pre-contract in May 2004.

The dynamic striker was amazing in the air and could score from almost anywhere.

He was like a battering ram against defenses, using his size and physical strength

to smash his way into the opposition box.

A few years ago, McLeish praised the striker and expressed his immense admiration for him, saying:

“I’ve stayed in touch with Dado over the years, and he was absolutely amazing.

He is simply an amazing person. Big Dado performed like a trojan in the wind and rain

at Pittodrie when we went up to Aberdeen and won that Helicopter Sunday year.

On that specific day, he struck their defense hard in the head. Dado had an infectious quality,

even though the other guys would run through brick walls for us.

Fantastic words for a fantastic player, and it’s obvious the former Gers manager still thinks highly of him.

Silva and Dessers will need to score more goals in the upcoming weeks if Clement is to believe

that they can lead the Light Blues to a title that seemed unthinkable only a few months ago.

With Danilo and Abdallah Sima sidelined for the foreseeable future due to injuries,

they are under even greater strain.

If only the manager could resurrect a prime Prso to lead the team through a demanding schedule

that runs until May, with the Croatian leading the way for even more success.

Seeing him perform at his peak once more at Ibrox, next to players such as Ross McCausland and Todd Cantwell,

would be an amazing sight. The supporters, alas, can only hope.

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