OPINION
No goals since September, that is the reality of attacker Kyle Lafferty’s second spell at Rangers. The Northern Irishman impressed early on at Ibrox, but is now going through one of the most barren runs of his career.
His manager Steven Gerrard is keeping faith in him, however, and the former Heart of Midlothian star must reward the Liverpool legend’s patience in the coming weeks.
“In the first four to six weeks, he looked like the real Kyle Lafferty,” Gerrard told the Scottish Sun. “He was all over the place, pressing people, being aggressive and holding it up. He got his goals, whether that was from the beginning, or from the bench.
“He then had a bit of a dip and had a few issues he had to deal with. Now he seems back and focused and ready to contribute again. I thought Kyle was outstanding last Sunday at St Johnstone, and did everything but score. He was unlucky not to get a few goals against Hamilton as well.
“As soon as he gets that first one, a few will come — and I’m hoping it will be in the next few fixtures. Kyle’s got my total support.”
The issues that Gerrard is referring to are unknown, and should remain so, but the business is done on the pitch and that’s where Lafferty has come up short this term.
He is a big game player, has been throughout his career, and so this Saturday’s Old Firm derby against Celtic would be the perfect time to get his second Ibrox spell back on track.
If he does find the scoresheet against Brendan Rodgers’ side, or even against Hibernian on Wednesday, all that has transpired over the past couple of months will be forgiven.
Lafferty needs to realise that he’s in real danger of his Rangers career fizzling out and dying and early death this season. If he doesn’t pull his finger out he could be consigned to the scrapheap as Gerrard’s team move inexorably forward.
But if he can turn things around, and reward his manager’s faith in him, he just might be able to write his name into Gers folklore.