Dessers and Lammers can be Rangers heroes yet as former Ibrox star says it's NOT the time to pull them from firing line

Charlie Miller isn’t the least bit surprised by the level of flak currently being aimed at Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers.

After all, the Light Blues legend remembers a time when experienced internationals like Peter van Vossen and Oleg Salenko - and even Mr Rangers himself Ally McCoist - found themselves in the crosshairs of the angry Ibrox support. None of them qualified for the dud category. Van Vossen might be best remembered in Scotland for his infamous Parkhead sitter but he was part of Ajax’s 1995 Champions League-winning squad. Salenko has a World Cup golden boot to his name and no-one needs reminded of McCoist’s Ibrox exploits.

Yet they all found themselves facing pop shots from the stands at various points. These days it’s summer signings Dessers and Lammers staring down the barrel as the fans fire off fresh volleys of frustration. The duo - who came at a combined cost of £8million - were faced with ironic cheers as they were replaced following dismal displays in the last-gasp win over Hearts on Sunday.

In Miller’s day, the late, great Walter Smith would have sent them ducking for cover, prescribing a stint on the sidelines to take the pressure off while the heat died down. But Miller’s not sure today’s struggling pair would want to be taken out of the firing line, even if it was an option open to new boss Philippe Clement.

He said: “You can see some of the players are struggling, which is sad to see. Confidence is very low. Guys like Lammers and Dessers have come in but haven’t hit the ground running. Listen, these lads aren’t the first to join Rangers and find Ibrox a tough place to play.

“The first one who springs to mind from my time was Peter van Vossen. He was a great guy and a great player. But he