Rangers takeover king sees Cyriel Dessers hit 50 but Vaclav Cerny hints at Ibrox farewell

Daily Record

14-05-2025

It was the final home game of a nightmare campaign but those who bothered to turn up at least had something to cheer
Sir Alex Ferguson was back at Ibrox for a trip down memory lane.
But it remains to be seen if Fergie Time is over for his managerial namesake.
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Caretaker gaffer Barry was overseeing what might just be his final home match in interim charge of the team.
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Sir Alex didn't hang around to see Cyriel Dessers hit the 50 mark for Gers with goals in either half.
The former Manchester United gaffer was pictured taking a look round his told team's museum earlier the day but was long gone before United kid Sam Cleall-Harding opened the scoring, never mind Nico Raskin's late third for Rangers.
New owner Andrew Cavenagh and his partners from 49ers Enterprises were in attendance and it's now down to the Americans to spell out Barry's future.
Here's the talking points from Ibrox:
Lap of dishonour
Next time the Rangers support turn up at Ibrox, they'll hope to be walking into a very different club.
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It's been a miserable campaign for the Gers faithful and just as was the case on Sunday, thousands demonstrated just how fed up they are by staying home.
But the promise of a US takeover at least offers scope for a brighter future.
Just what that entails will be explained in the coming days but in the meantime the Gers faithful had one last home game to get through.
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Their already sagging enthusiasm for the showdown with United were hardly helped by the sight of Jim Goodwin's side taking the lead 20 minutes in.
The hosts had started the brighter and deservedly pounced when Sam Cleall-Harding gave the sleeping James Tavernier the slip to nod home from Ryan Strain's corner on 20 minutes.
Their lead didn't last long as Dessers got Rangers level with a fabulous header five minutes later.
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It was the Nigerian who put Gers in front from the penalty spot on 72 minutes after VAR recommended ref Calum Scott take a look at Vicko Sevelj's challenge on Mohamed Diomande.
United were still reeling from that set-back when they were hit with another hammer blow three minutes later as Nico Raskin rifled into the roof of David Richards' net.
But even with that late show won't do much to make up for a dreadful season.
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Frankly, Saturday's Easter Road curtain-closer can't come quick enough for the Light Blues legions.
The fans who did turn up certainly weren't hanging about a second longer than needed as they gave their team's lap of dishonour at the end a swerve.
Slick Cyd brings up the 50
Where do you start with Dessers?
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He's a striker that seems to have the Rangers faithful pulling their hair out on a weekly basis.
Yet his deadly double means he now has 50 goals in just two season in Glasgow.
He made the point himself last week that fans would have taken those kind of figures had they been offered them when he arrived from Cremonese.
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But there's still that nagging feeling that a more reliable frontman would be well on his way to a century by now had they been presented with some of the gilt-edged chances Dessers has spurned over his time in Scotland.
That may be true but you can't take anything away from his two finishes last night.
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Having missed two glorious headed chances against Aberdeen on Sunday, no-one was expecting him to bullet home with a stunning finish from Jefte's wicked delivery.
He was able to bring up his 50th for Gers with a second half penalty after regular taker James Tavernier stepped aside - and it's enough to nudge him ahead of Daizen Maeda and Simon Murray to take over the Premiership golden boot race.
Butland back with a bang
From Super Jack Butland in goal one year to calamity keeper the next, this season certainly hasn't gone how the Ibrox No1 expected.
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The former England stopper was Gers player of the year by some distance last term — but he's miles of it this campaign.
Clangers home and away to Motherwell, a humiliating OG against former club Manchester United, the inexplicable spill at Dens Park — all of those have served to chip away at the high esteem the 32-year-old has been held in since his arrival in the summer of 2023.
Last month's howler at home to Hibs proved to be the final straw for Ferguson as he dumped Butland back to the bench, with Liam Kelly handed the gloves instead.
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But after six games kicking his heels amongst the subs, Butland was back in sticks to face United.
It was a chance to show he still has it to be the club's first-choice stopper - or maybe an opportunity to stick one of the club's highest earners in the shop window.
Regardless of the reasoning, he took it by making three big saves from Glenn Middleton, Sam Dalby and a Dessers mis-kick.
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Fond farewells?
Butland isn't the only Rangers player with a question mark over his future.
With huge changes coming this summer, there's barely a first-team member who can be certain of their involvement next season.
Gers would undoubtedly love to keep Vaclav Cerny next season but unless the in-coming Yank owners can find a fresh pile of dollars, it looks like the £6million-rated Czech loanee is on his way back to Wolfsburg.
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That certainly seemed the message as he paused while being subbed off to bid what looked like an emotional goodbye.
Leon Balogun has already made his pitch for a new deal this week but with the centre-back set to turn 37 next month that's far from guaranteed, despite another steady showing in defence.
As for costly recruits like Nedim Bajrami, Danilo, Robin Propper and Tom Lawrence, most of those who bothered to turn up last night won't mind if the farewells dished out at full-time will be a final one.
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United run flat
Dundee United stormed through the split with ambitions of chasing down third place.
Instead, they arrived at Ibrox desperately clinging onto the fifth and final Euro spot after a disastrous start to their top-six schedule.
Now the have to beat Aberdeen at home on Saturday if they are to ensure their passports will be getting booked next tee,.
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Jim Goodwin admitted his knackered Tangerines have been running on empty after a gruelling first season back in the Premiership.
Successive defeats to Celtic, Aberdeen and St Mirren saw them concede 10 goals stripped the Tannadice men of much of the confidence they'd built up during a previously impressive campaign.
They didn't look too tired right in the early stages at Ibrox right enough, despite turning up with only 17 fit players.
But once they let Cleall Harding's lead slip it was always inevitable their energy reserves would run dry and so it proved.
They need to find a spark against the Dons or it will be St Mirren jetting out on Conference League duty.