Darryl Broadfoot on Monday

[ian1964 10,720]

Take a seat. Have some herbal tea and get a defibrillator close to hand. What you are about to read may cause dizziness, disorientation and even nausea. Are you ready? Let's begin.

 

Kris Boyd should be player of the year. Yes, you did just read that. For the purposes of clarity, let's repeat. Kris Boyd should be player of the year. It has been one of the mysteries of Scottish football that the greatest poacher of his time has never made the shortlist for the award, be it from his peers at PFA Scotland, or his torturers and cheerleaders in the Scottish Football Writers' Association.

 

There is more chance of Gary Lineker winning the Golf Writers' Oratory Award for his Masters coverage than there is of Boyd standing on a lectern getting all Gwyneth Paltrow on us. There is more chance of the Scottish FA winning the Nobel Peace Prize for international diplomacy than there is of Boyd posing with a silver salver on one hand and flicking a fly vicky at the cameras with the other. There is more chance of Csaba Laszlo cutting down his acceptance speech to twice the length of Andy Cameron's after-dinner turn than there is of poor, persecuted Boydy opening his heart to The Sun on why being named player of the year vindicated his decision to say no to Burley and sulk and gurn at Walter. Well, maybe that's stretching it a bit.

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The point is this: in a season hardly oversubscribed with stand-out performers, or even above average ones, it is a travesty that Mon Mome had shorter odds to win the Grand National than Rangers' habitual larcenist has of scooting off with a slab of personal distinction. Boyd has a greater case than those currently in the reckoning. Gary Caldwell is the favourite but was given the runaround by Bruno Aguiar at Tynecastle on Saturday afternoon in midfield and, for all his smart passing and versatility, has been partly responsible for Celtic's inability to defend cross balls.

 

Scott Brown? The award surely cannot go to a midfielder who has yet to perfect the art of the forward pass. If it does, it will be for sheer energy and hyperactivity alone. Timmy Mallet will fancy his chances next season. Pedro Mendes? The myths surrounding the Portuguese have been exposed in recent weeks. Elegant and occasionally brilliant, the reason he found himself at Portsmouth was his average of one influential game every three or four.

 

Steven Davis? A wide player is expected to get to the byeline and deliver a series of inviting crosses.

 

It is not his natural position but the remit remains the same.

 

He would have had a stronger case if he played centrally, but can the player of the year be awarded to a guy not regarded as good enough for his preferred position?

 

Which brings us to the case for the attack. Boyd has scored 28 goals for Rangers, with six league games and one, possibly two, Homecoming Scottish Cup games still to play. He will finish the season with more than 30 but it is the background story that makes his claim so compelling. Richard Gough once claimed that Andy Goram regularly saved Rangers 15 points a season; Boyd has gathered 18 of the title challengers' 70 points. His goals have been the difference between Rangers winning or losing, such as his brace in a 2-1 win against Kilmarnock in September, and winners against Hibernian and Falkirk; winning or drawing, such as his two in a 3-1 win away to Hamilton or his recent exploits against St Mirren and Motherwell; and drawing or losing, his goal against Dundee United at Tannadice, for example.

 

Boyd, to put it charitably, is not one of life's natural athletes. His limitations have been highlighted often enough in this column, to his occasional dissatisfaction, but at times his deficiencies detract from his exceptional, unteachable knack of scoring goals. His first against Motherwell on Saturday was a moment of sheer instinctive beauty, lashing the ball contemptuously beyond Graeme Smith. There have been other such instances, not least the Van Bastenesque volley (with his left foot) against Partick Thistle in the Co-operative Insurance Cup.

 

Those who have questioned his professionalism, myself among them, should at least give credit to Boyd for the 10 goals scored since the turn of the year. That is the ultimate act of professionalism for a player whom Rangers were eager to sell to Birmingham City for �£3m in the January window. He rejected the chance, partly because of the personal terms on offer - roughly a third more than he earns at Ibrox - but largely because he is a home-bird who waited long enough to win a move to Rangers. He could have downed tools after Sir David Murray did everything to facilitate the deal short of writing a cheque as he did for Alan Hutton. Instead, he resumed normal business.

 

Had he been at his peak in the 1990s, there would be no mention of his lack of athleticism or his inability to hold the ball, just awe at the relentlessness of his output. Life is not about to get any easier for him at Rangers in the summer, which is why we all could be witnessing the last acts of Boyd in Scotland. He should be celebrated and acknowledged as one of the best goalscorers to have emerged of any era. Odds are he won't.

 

 

http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.2501505.0.Darryl_Broadfoot_on_Monday.php

[26th of foot 6,063]

The Herald's latest sales figure show a decrease to 59,500 daily. A decade ago, the Herald sold 120,000. I suspect the usual suspects, Donald Cowey(Sports Editor and former Editor of ra Sellik View) and Hugh MacDonald(Chief Sports Writer and former rc priest) have been ordered to instruct Darryl to throw the Huns a few crumbs of comfort. Let's see if we get the circulation back above 60,000?

[andrew_2010 0]

regardless of which paper it was published in, great story.

 

Didn't Hartson once get it for "scoring goals"? Boyd has been at Rangers 3 and a half years, and has not always been first pick. Yet he has almost scored 100 goals.

 

I think he does deserve something! Well done

[Super_Ally 0]

Even some Rangers fans will not be comfortable in reading that.

 

Hopefully Boydie hasn't read that though as he usually performs better when he feels he has a point to prove.

 

With yet another season of uninspiring candidates I would have to say he is in with a shout. Though I think he should have been nominated each year he's been here and should definitely have won it his first half season.

[Norris Cole 0]

The SPL top scorer only wins Player of the Year if he plays in green and grey hoops.

 

 

I believe the list of winners from the last 15 years or so will back up that statement.

[biggordy 0]

Remember years ago WS saying something about Gazza. It was something like if you wanted the genius that was Gazza, you had to put up with the madness that goes with it.

Now, I'm not suggesting that Kris Boyd is a footballing genius but he has a special quality that wins football matches.

By this rationale should WS not build a team to accommodate the goalscoring genius that Kris Boyd possesses ?

[Norris Cole 0]

Been saying that for a while Gordy - so long as he puts in the hard yards himself as he has done the last few weeks. We would have won a grand total of 0 trophies without him last season.

[Davy 0]

Iv'e been saying for ages now....If he was called Boydio and and came from Spain/Italy/ect...we would be creaming ourselves

[Bluedell 5,614]

Been saying that for a while Gordy - so long as he puts in the hard yards himself as he has done the last few weeks. We would have won a grand total of 0 trophies without him last season.

 

We would also been out of Europe before Christmas had he been playing every game.

 

He's obviously got his limitations, as well as his strengths, and I can't put him in front of Bougherra when it comes to POTY.

[johnnyk 158]

We would also been out of Europe before Christmas had he been playing every game.

 

He's obviously got his limitations, as well as his strengths, and I can't put him in front of Bougherra when it comes to POTY.

 

Due to the formation/tactics we played and results we got last season it's easy to say that now. He could easily have scored the goals to help us through if he did play some of these games as all he needs is a sniff of goal and he takes it.

 

I love players who score goals and he would be my POTY.