Cyriel Dessers declares Rangers CAN win the title as he declares squad will be ready for fight

Determined Cyriel Dessers rallied to boss Philippe Clement’s call for confidence as he insisted Rangers can compete for silverware this season, writes Andy Newport in Berlin.

The gaffer has urged his team to show the belief they can take on Celtic for prizes amid a lingering mood of gloom around Ibrox. And last year’s 22-goal frontman was quick to back his boss, with Dessers setting out the reasons why he believes the Rangers support should keep the faith ahead of Saturday’s campaign kick-off against Hearts at Tynecastle.

Asked if he was part of a Light Blues line-up capable of winning the title, the Nigerian declared: “Oh yeah, definitely. I know there is always a lot of talk around a big club like Rangers. Some people talk to me about the fishbowl that Glasgow is. That’s obviously true but we are focused on the job we need to do. We have a big month in August, not only in the league but also in the cup and in Europe, so we know what to do.

“We have been there before. For some of the new guys, it’s obviously new but we’ll take them with us. We’ll support them. We’ll be ready.”

Clement last week added Wolfsburg winger Vaclav Cerny to his list of options after signing the Czech international on a season-long loan. The departures of Sam Lammers and Connor Goldson will free up funds for further new recruits but the Ibrox legions will have to cross their fingers that those reinforcements arrive ahead of Saturday’s Gorgie curtain-raiser.

Gers rounded off a dismal pre-season campaign with a 4-4 draw against Union Berlin on Saturday in which a long-awaited attacking flourish was soured by a repeat of the dodgy defending that has dogged Clement’s men all summer. Having seen their side ship 10 goals over the course of just four