I was slaughtered by Rangers fans just like Cyriel Dessers and here is what it taught me in Hall of Fame career

Cyriel Dessers is flavour of the month again at Ibrox. But it’s only a few weeks since the Rangers support were turning their noses up at what the striker was serving up.

That’s the way this love-hate relationship seems to go, with Nigerian frontman’s standing with punters swinging from adulation to vilification almost on a game-by-game basis. Craig Moore’s experience with the Light Blue legions wasn’t quite as erratic as that but the Gers legend knows what it is like to find yourself in the firing line one minute and loved the next.

The retired Aussie international often found himself the fall guy at a time when superstars like Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup could do no wrong in the eyes of the punters. Their impression of the Sydney-born utility man only changed when he was finally able to nail down a slot in his preferred role at centre-half. But he’d have never survived it that long without the bullet-proof belief in himself.

And he reckons it is a similar steely resolve that has allowed Dessers to keep his head while the fans are losing theirs. Oz told Record Sport: “He's an instinctive striker. But when there's a little bit too much time, then his success rate hasn't been as high as he’d like.

“So that’s led to the supporter base getting on his back a little bit at times. However, I think he's a really, really genuine player. He's very honest.

“Good, bad or indifferent, he turns up and he gives it absolutely everything. So, as much as I've kind of seen the frustration he gives the fans, it's certainly not through lack of desire, hunger or effort.

“And the thing I like about him is that mental strength. His ability to shrug off the poor moments and go again. We've all seen players with better profiles struggle at