Sheyi Ojo can be Rangers match winner and showed why Liverpool rate him so highly - Barry Ferguson

[ForeverAndEver 71,450]

There's never too much to be taken from the first competitive game of the summer – especially against part-timers on a plastic pitch at the end of a runway in Gibraltar.

But while I’m not about to get carried away with Rangers for beating St Joseph’s 4-0, I’m happy to get myself worked up about the performance of new boy Sheyi Ojo.

The opposition were no great shakes and Steven Gerrard’s side looked a little bit rusty in the first half before starting to find a bit of rhythm after the break.

But Ojo? This kid stood out like a sore thumb from the very first kick of the ball and it looks like my old club have got a real player on their hands.

It’s not about the standard of the team he was up against, it’s about the tools he’s got in his locker and from this first look it seems as if he might have the lot.

He’s powerful, strong, athletic and a great runner with a good work ethic. Technically he’s really impressive and the way he took his goal on Tuesday night was classy and composed.

Listen, it’s important not to put too much expectation on his young shoulders and to remember that he’s up here for a reason. If he was the finished article he’d be in the Liverpool squad by now.

But none of that changes the fact that this is a young boy with enormous potential.

Put it this way, I could see in 90 minutes exactly why Jurgen Klopp wanted Ojo tied up on a five-year contract before he sanctioned the loan move. You don’t do that with young players unless you’re reasonably certain they’re going to be first-team material in a matter of time.

Ojo has huge potential and I believe he’s gone to the perfect place to help him fulfil it because playing for Rangers is all about coping with demands. That’s why Liverpool will be so pleased to let him play up here for a season as this will be a critical part of his development.

Some players flourish under that kind of pressure. Some players take time to get used to it. Some find that they just can’t handle it.

Just look back to this time last summer when Ryan Kent and Ovie Ejaria were sent up the road from the Anfield academy.

Ejaria looked the part but struggled to handle the demands that come with wearing the shirt and performing in front of 50,000 fans every second week.

Kent? He took to Rangers like a duck to water and as a result of his performance level over the seasion he’s now about to fly out with Klopp’s Champions League winning squad on a summer tour of the USA.

He proved to his manager he is cut out to make the difference in big matches under intense pressure and that’s exactly what Klopp will be looking for when he’s considering promoting youngsters into his dressing room.

So it’s no wonder that he wants to take a close look at Kent this summer before deciding if he’s ready to become part of the plans for the new season.

Klopp will be comparing him to the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri over the next couple of weeks and weighing up if the time is right to give him a chance.

I hope he reaches the conclusion the boy needs one more year of first team football at Ibrox because he’s a special talent who could make a real difference to Gerrard’s hopes of winning silverware.

But Liverpool will have looked at the improvement in Kent when they decided to let Ojo move to Glasgow and they will see this as an another opportunity for a young player to take huge strides.

We’ll just need to wait and see how he handles these demands but the first impression was that he can be a really big player for Rangers this season.

The club has won a watch in 
this new relationship with the Merseysiders and much of that is obviously down to Gerrard’s status at Anfield. But Liverpool will also see the benefits of plucking young promising talent from their own academy and giving them men’s football in Glasgow, at a huge club and a demanding support.

It’s effectively a fast track for these kids to prepare them for first team football in the Premier League so it’s a genuine win-win situation for both sides.

Ojo’s proved to them that he has the ability to go all the way. Now they need to see that he also has the temperament to handle it when he’s on a big stage.

It will help him enormously to have a professional like Steve Davis at the heart of the team and I was delighted to see my old team mate dictating things from the middle of the park at Victoria Stadium.

After a sticky start to his second spell, it looks as if he has convinced Gerrard to build the team around him and that can only be good news as he is such a class act.

Anyone who reads this column knows how highly I rate him and I reckon Davo could be the most important signing of the summer in terms of next season’s top flight campaign.

Gerrard will hope that Filip Helander will be another huge contributor given the amount of money the club are prepared to shell out to sign the big Swede from Bologna. I was reading the other day that the last time Rangers spent £4million on a player was when Walter Smith signed Nikica Jelavic in 2010. There wasn’t much money floating about back then, at a time when the bank was starting to squeeze hard. We all know what happened a few years later.

But when Walter bought Jelavic he knew he had signed a player who could help his team win the title and, as usual, he was right.

Gerrard must feel the same way about Helander. With talent like Ojo and Davis around him – and competition for places all over the pitch – it really does feel like an exciting time to be a Rangers fan again.

 

Good article.

[TopCat 4,511]

Agree with all of that.

It's shaping up to be an exciting season with the likes of Ojo in the team........it's early days but he looks a real handful. 

[KBOO72 4,371]

Fuck off Barry you snake. 

[gazza27 15,283]

2 hours ago, ForeverAndEver said:

There's never too much to be taken from the first competitive game of the summer – especially against part-timers on a plastic pitch at the end of a runway in Gibraltar.

But while I’m not about to get carried away with Rangers for beating St Joseph’s 4-0, I’m happy to get myself worked up about the performance of new boy Sheyi Ojo.

The opposition were no great shakes and Steven Gerrard’s side looked a little bit rusty in the first half before starting to find a bit of rhythm after the break.

But Ojo? This kid stood out like a sore thumb from the very first kick of the ball and it looks like my old club have got a real player on their hands.

It’s not about the standard of the team he was up against, it’s about the tools he’s got in his locker and from this first look it seems as if he might have the lot.

He’s powerful, strong, athletic and a great runner with a good work ethic. Technically he’s really impressive and the way he took his goal on Tuesday night was classy and composed.

Listen, it’s important not to put too much expectation on his young shoulders and to remember that he’s up here for a reason. If he was the finished article he’d be in the Liverpool squad by now.

But none of that changes the fact that this is a young boy with enormous potential.

Put it this way, I could see in 90 minutes exactly why Jurgen Klopp wanted Ojo tied up on a five-year contract before he sanctioned the loan move. You don’t do that with young players unless you’re reasonably certain they’re going to be first-team material in a matter of time.

Ojo has huge potential and I believe he’s gone to the perfect place to help him fulfil it because playing for Rangers is all about coping with demands. That’s why Liverpool will be so pleased to let him play up here for a season as this will be a critical part of his development.

Some players flourish under that kind of pressure. Some players take time to get used to it. Some find that they just can’t handle it.

Just look back to this time last summer when Ryan Kent and Ovie Ejaria were sent up the road from the Anfield academy.

Ejaria looked the part but struggled to handle the demands that come with wearing the shirt and performing in front of 50,000 fans every second week.

Kent? He took to Rangers like a duck to water and as a result of his performance level over the seasion he’s now about to fly out with Klopp’s Champions League winning squad on a summer tour of the USA.

He proved to his manager he is cut out to make the difference in big matches under intense pressure and that’s exactly what Klopp will be looking for when he’s considering promoting youngsters into his dressing room.

So it’s no wonder that he wants to take a close look at Kent this summer before deciding if he’s ready to become part of the plans for the new season.

Klopp will be comparing him to the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri over the next couple of weeks and weighing up if the time is right to give him a chance.

I hope he reaches the conclusion the boy needs one more year of first team football at Ibrox because he’s a special talent who could make a real difference to Gerrard’s hopes of winning silverware.

But Liverpool will have looked at the improvement in Kent when they decided to let Ojo move to Glasgow and they will see this as an another opportunity for a young player to take huge strides.

We’ll just need to wait and see how he handles these demands but the first impression was that he can be a really big player for Rangers this season.

The club has won a watch in 
this new relationship with the Merseysiders and much of that is obviously down to Gerrard’s status at Anfield. But Liverpool will also see the benefits of plucking young promising talent from their own academy and giving them men’s football in Glasgow, at a huge club and a demanding support.

It’s effectively a fast track for these kids to prepare them for first team football in the Premier League so it’s a genuine win-win situation for both sides.

Ojo’s proved to them that he has the ability to go all the way. Now they need to see that he also has the temperament to handle it when he’s on a big stage.

It will help him enormously to have a professional like Steve Davis at the heart of the team and I was delighted to see my old team mate dictating things from the middle of the park at Victoria Stadium.

After a sticky start to his second spell, it looks as if he has convinced Gerrard to build the team around him and that can only be good news as he is such a class act.

Anyone who reads this column knows how highly I rate him and I reckon Davo could be the most important signing of the summer in terms of next season’s top flight campaign.

Gerrard will hope that Filip Helander will be another huge contributor given the amount of money the club are prepared to shell out to sign the big Swede from Bologna. I was reading the other day that the last time Rangers spent £4million on a player was when Walter Smith signed Nikica Jelavic in 2010. There wasn’t much money floating about back then, at a time when the bank was starting to squeeze hard. We all know what happened a few years later.

But when Walter bought Jelavic he knew he had signed a player who could help his team win the title and, as usual, he was right.

Gerrard must feel the same way about Helander. With talent like Ojo and Davis around him – and competition for places all over the pitch – it really does feel like an exciting time to be a Rangers fan again.

 

Good article.

Not as a result Barry it's because they are short of players.other than that decent article 

[ForeverAndEver 71,450]

12 minutes ago, KBOO72 said:

Fuck off Barry you snake. 

Moron

[KBOO72 4,371]

15 minutes ago, ForeverAndEver said:

Moron

Snake, moron, call him whatever you want. 

[ForeverAndEver 71,450]

8 minutes ago, KBOO72 said:

Snake, moron, call him whatever you want. 

Lmfao rofl 

[magic8ball 27,901]

11 hours ago, KBOO72 said:

Fuck off Barry you snake. 

First positive thing I have heard him come out with in ages. 

But completely agree. He can fuck right off. 

Looks to me that he realises we have a right good chance this season and is trying to weasel his way back in with the fans. But as you rightly said. He can still fuck off 

[pcbear 10,913]

The Ferguson's were two highly gifted footballers.

[LaudrupsPatrickBoots 13,510]

An positive article from an ex player and there's 2 posters slating him already and it's still only page 1.

 

This forum never fails to deliver.

[KBOO72 4,371]

24 minutes ago, LaudrupsPatrickBoots said:

An positive article from an ex player and there's 2 posters slating him already and it's still only page 1.

 

This forum never fails to deliver.

Does writing 1 positive article make up for all the other shite he's said about us in recent years?

Not for me. 

The guy was a fantastic player for us, probably the last genuine top quality player we've had and it may be a long time before we see that level of quality again unfortunately. But he's still a fucking arsehole, another ex player who knows how to keep himself relevant in the media, cosying up to the numerous taigs he works alongside.

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

51 minutes ago, LaudrupsPatrickBoots said:

An positive article from an ex player and there's 2 posters slating him already and it's still only page 1.

 

This forum never fails to deliver.

Maybe we all have a better memory than you over the last few years when it comes to that prick. 

[LaudrupsPatrickBoots 13,510]

48 minutes ago, Courtyard Bear said:

Maybe we all have a better memory than you over the last few years when it comes to that prick. 

Maybe so but with him and many others I prefer to remember what they done for us as players.

[bornabear 6,202]

2 minutes ago, LaudrupsPatrickBoots said:

Maybe so but with him and many others I prefer to remember what they done for us as players.

A player's  record for the Club is one thing and cannot be erased, these players were a hero to many.

Unfortunately, a few have gone on to disrespect the Club by writing columns in the media, getting 30 pieces of silver for their efforts to please their paymasters.

What you cannot do, is remember one and ignore the other.

 

 

[Ozblue 4,331]

For me, Barry Ferguson as a player was everything a Rangers legend should be, but unfortunately, Barry Ferguson as an ex player has been everything a Rangers legend should never be. He has done nothing as a pundit except disrespect the club that gave him the chance to become that legend, and by disrespecting the club, he by association has disrespected the fans who lauded him.

If that article was verbatim, Ferguson said: "Gerrard must feel the same way about Helander. With talent like Ojo and Davis around him – and competition for places all over the pitch – it really does feel like an exciting time to be a Rangers fan again. I don't know about anybody else on this forum, but for me, it's always been an exciting time to be a Rangers fan even when we are shite and not winning. I've followed my club for over 65 years and not once have I been a Rangers fan, I'm not a Rangers fan. Oh! I'm a Rangers fan. Naw, I'm not a Rangers fan.

[magic8ball 27,901]

13 minutes ago, Ozblue said:

For me, Barry Ferguson as a player was everything a Rangers legend should be, but unfortunately, Barry Ferguson as an ex player has been everything a Rangers legend should never be. He has done nothing as a pundit except disrespect the club that gave him the chance to become that legend, and by disrespecting the club, he by association has disrespected the fans who lauded him.

If that article was verbatim, Ferguson said: "Gerrard must feel the same way about Helander. With talent like Ojo and Davis around him – and competition for places all over the pitch – it really does feel like an exciting time to be a Rangers fan again. I don't know about anybody else on this forum, but for me, it's always been an exciting time to be a Rangers fan even when we are shite and not winning. I've followed my club for over 65 years and not once have I been a Rangers fan, I'm not a Rangers fan. Oh! I'm a Rangers fan. Naw, I'm not a Rangers fan.

Both Fergusons have tried to give the impression they are Hamilton fans in recent years, Going along to watch the local team being the buzz phrase for both. 

Doesn't surprise me he's BACK as a Rangers fan. As you quite rightly say. Being a Rangers fan NEVER leaves you 

[ForeverAndEver 71,450]

32 minutes ago, Ozblue said:

For me, Barry Ferguson as a player was everything a Rangers legend should be, but unfortunately, Barry Ferguson as an ex player has been everything a Rangers legend should never be. He has done nothing as a pundit except disrespect the club that gave him the chance to become that legend, and by disrespecting the club, he by association has disrespected the fans who lauded him.

If that article was verbatim, Ferguson said: "Gerrard must feel the same way about Helander. With talent like Ojo and Davis around him – and competition for places all over the pitch – it really does feel like an exciting time to be a Rangers fan again. I don't know about anybody else on this forum, but for me, it's always been an exciting time to be a Rangers fan even when we are shite and not winning. I've followed my club for over 65 years and not once have I been a Rangers fan, I'm not a Rangers fan. Oh! I'm a Rangers fan. Naw, I'm not a Rangers fan.

Majority of the Championship season aside it’s been depressing as fuck being one tbh.

 

 

[ForeverAndEver 71,450]

2 hours ago, KBOO72 said:

Does writing 1 positive article make up for all the other shite he's said about us in recent years?

Not for me. 

The guy was a fantastic player for us, probably the last genuine top quality player we've had and it may be a long time before we see that level of quality again unfortunately. But he's still a fucking arsehole, another ex player who knows how to keep himself relevant in the media, cosying up to the numerous taigs he works alongside.

Is it one though? 

[Ozblue 4,331]

4 minutes ago, magic8ball said:

Both Fergusons have tried to give the impression they are Hamilton fans in recent years, Going along to watch the local team being the buzz phrase for both. 

Doesn't surprise me he's BACK as a Rangers fan. As you quite rightly say. Being a Rangers fan NEVER leaves you 

To be fair, I guess I could have taken the written word out of context, because with an audio interview you can tell exactly what he means, but I find it weird and embarrassing that ex-Rangers players have  a penchant for being overcritical and damning about our club while at the same time getting orgasmic about the brilliance of the scum team, manager, stewardship, especially when they don't take into consideration what we have been through since 2011.

Butcher,  McInnes,  the two Ferguson brothers, and even McCoist have slagged us off on radio, TV, and newspapers, instead of having the balls to tell our detractors in the media to fuck off, but they would never do that because it would upset their paymasters.

It angers me that many foreign players we've had from wee Johnny Hubbard, through to the likes of Albertz, Newman, Mols, Amoruso, Moore, Vidmar et al say, "Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger until you die".

[KBOO72 4,371]

3 minutes ago, ForeverAndEver said:

Is it one though? 

In this thread, aye. 

[Ozblue 4,331]

4 minutes ago, ForeverAndEver said:

Majority of the Championship season aside it’s been depressing as fuck being one tbh.

 

 

It might be depressing and disappointing, but no matter the good, the bad, or fucking horrific, I'll still be a Rangers fan whatever happens. For me, these cunts in the 'Bandwagon Loyal' can get to fuck.

[slimjim1690 4,534]

38 minutes ago, Ozblue said:

It might be depressing and disappointing, but no matter the good, the bad, or fucking horrific, I'll still be a Rangers fan whatever happens. For me, these cunts in the 'Bandwagon Loyal' can get to fuck.

Mate, you and I have lived through three major periods were we struggled to win  league titles, this last one being the worst but supporters like us never once have turned our backs on The Rangers, in fact in those times it has just made me more defiant and proud to call myself a fan because I know we will return at some point and that's when the taste of success tastes so much sweeter.

As you also said it seems very strange to me as well that the foreign players who have played for us  appear to be more willing to  support the club and say the right things about us than some of our "supposedly" homegrown supporters who got the privilege to pull on the jersey but as soon as the money stopped coming in were more than willing to take their pieces of silver from wherever they could get it and shove our noses in the dirt, IMO those cunts that you mentioned in your above posts should never be allowed back inside Ibrox, no true supporter of the club would have come out in the media and cosied up with their Fenian buddies and spoke about us in the manner they have,  they may well have been great players for the club but by being the cunts that they have become they have given up their rights to be called supporters, fuck them, Judas bastards the lot of them.

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

3 hours ago, LaudrupsPatrickBoots said:

Maybe so but with him and many others I prefer to remember what they done for us as players.

Don’t hear any former Scum FC captains and so called Legends ever putting the boot into them. 

Pity our own can’t do the same. 

[Ozblue 4,331]

14 minutes ago, slimjim1690 said:

Mate, you and I have lived through three major periods were we struggled to win  league titles, this last one being the worst but supporters like us never once have turned our backs on The Rangers, in fact in those times it has just made me more defiant and proud to call myself a fan because I know we will return at some point and that's when the taste of success tastes so much sweeter.

As you also said it seems very strange to me as well that the foreign players who have played for us  appear to be more willing to  support the club and say the right things about us than some of our "supposedly" homegrown supporters who got the privilege to pull on the jersey but as soon as the money stopped coming in were more than willing to take their pieces of silver from wherever they could get it and shove our noses in the dirt, IMO those cunts that you mentioned in your above posts should never be allowed back inside Ibrox, no true supporter of the club would have come out in the media and cosied up with their Fenian buddies and spoke about us in the manner they have,  they may well have been great players for the club but by being the cunts that they have become they have given up their rights to be called supporters, fuck them, Judas bastards the lot of them.

I honestly think the modern era fan in general  (not just Rangers fans) are less "staunch" than us old cunts for the simple reason that modern day supporters can  virtually watch every game by either going to the stadium, watch it on pay TV, get a stream on the internet etc, so to them it becomes a normal event, whereas  back in my day (at least) there was no games on TV, in fact, very few people had TV's so getting to watch Rangers in the flesh meant getting to a stadium, which was a REAL privilege and something to be cherished. Not only that, but there was nothing else to do except  talk about the game through the week. The common connection between the fans of that era and the fans of today is that if your team got gubbed you felt like a bag of shit, but it was worse then because there was nothing to take your mind off it.

For me, the true test of being a Rangers supporter through thick and thin was at Hampden Park, 19th October 1953 where we had to suffer 90 minutes of hell watching us get hammered 7-1 by the scum. After I left the ground in tears I went to my Grandparents home in Glenboig and next day I was taught a lesson by Jock 'Tiger' Shaw who was friends with my Uncle. He said, " Son, there will be dark days and there will be days of sunshine, but although the weather changes every day, you will forever be a Rangers supporter".

That great ex-captain was right.

[slimjim1690 4,534]

Great post mate  but I must say that I have a great respect for most of our younger supporters who haven't seen us win anything for years but still turn up every week to give their support,  they have obviously been brought up in the proper tradition andI'll be so happy for them when the time comes.