Kris Boyd has sparked as many a debate on our forums as any player in recent Rangers history. I believe the majority of fans appreciate just how valuable Boyd’s contribution is while others feel he just isn’t good enough, hard to believe for a man who has scored 102 goals in record quick time.
Indeed, it wasn’t so long ago I was typing a very similar thread: Kris Boyd, all he does is score goals. Seems almost unbelievable, looking back now, that this would be something to complain about but at Rangers, I have realised that standards and expectations among the support are extremely high, perhaps too high some may argue. Kris Boyd falls into a category of player that no matter what he does - no matter how many goals he scores or no matter how many headers he wins - some will always find fault and umpteen reasons to complain about him. Indeed, sometimes Kris Boyd merits the criticism he receives.
However, Boyd has handled that pressure superbly well. The supposed move to Birmingham in January was a massive test of Boyd’s commitment, perhaps not so much to the club but to us as a support. What I mean by this is the pressure from within Ibrox for Boyd to leave will simply have been enormous, the club will have argued his commitment to the Rangers cause will indeed cause him to choose to leave. In an era where yet again we find ourselves in the financial mire, Boyd is a somewhat dangerous enemy to himself, he is indeed a sellable asset and we certainly tried to realise his value. I have no doubt that we put Boyd under all sorts of pressure mentally; the club needs you to leave, the club is dependent on the financial windfall you will bring, etc. I am sure Boyd was told everything. If you think about it for a short while, it really does speak volumes for his character that he was able to come back and score the goals that helped Rangers win the league at a time when, outwith his own position, the pressure on all the players would have been massive to deliver the top domestic prize.
I am convinced that Kris Boyd wants to stay at Rangers but at the same time I fear the management may be forced to sell in order to balance the books. With a year left on his contract we simply can’t afford for that to be allowed to dwindle away and the player leave for nothing - after all there simply is no other alternative for him if we don’t engage in contract talks. Kris Boyd has been labelled a player who only scores against the smaller opposition, which isn’t quite true at all if stats are to be looked at. Sure, he boasts only one Old Firm goal and has been guilty of some bad misses in these games but I believe this is another hurdle Boyd can and will overcome.
From my own viewpoint, it is definitely fair to say Boyd completely won me over in the run in to clinching the title. I thought he was fantastic, with his work rate and effort in the Motherwell game at Ibrox sticking in my mind. I was disappointed with his performance in the cup final and the way that ended for him, but it will also come as a sharp reminder to Kris Boyd that to succeed at this level he must be in peak condition every time he steps on that park. I am, however, sure that without Boyd we would not have been crowned champions. He brings something that no other player at Ibrox offers, an almost guaranteed goal threat. Boyd occupies defenders minds and terrifies defenders with his finishing ability. I firmly believe Kenny Miller would not have been as successful without Boyd, some say Miller has been good for Boyd but there is definitely an argument for roles reversed.
For some Kris Boyd may not be an automatic pick, at times and in certain games I can understand this, but for me we are a better team with him in our squad. With Lafferty and Naismith set to play big roles next season I think that we can be confident we have four strikers extremely capable of providing us with competition for places, which can only benefit the club.
But this may about to be the clubs biggest conundrum of the summer;
Do we sell the player who has scored so many goals and bank the cash from that?
Do we renew the players contract and continue to let him do what he does best?
I truly hope we choose the second option.