Belgian Mystery
The enigma that is Thomas Buffel.
Few players have split the Rangers support down the middle this way this Belgian attacker has.
Bought by then-manager Alex McLeish in January 2005 for a fee of around £2.3M from Dutch giants Feyenoord, the creative attacking midfielder was a fairly unknown quantity in Britain.
The circumstances surrounding his exit from his Dutch employers are equally as mystifying as his stock in the UK was. There was apparently a contract dispute, and the Belgians’ refusal to sign a new one, and his alienation from the squad. The question is whether his alienation from the squad was the direct reason he would not sign an extension, or if his refusal to sign the contract caused said alienation. In other words, which way around was it? A suggestion could be posed that it would be unlikely Ruud Gullit would wish to extend the contract of a player he wanted rid of, and that the notion of the loss of his place was down to his reluctance to extend his stay in Rotterdam. It is all conjecture, however, and what is known for sure is Gullit parted with Buffel as a consequence of Rangers’ bid for him.
The notion of an exciting attacker in the mould of a Kaka type filled the fans with a fair degree of optimism about his future at Ibrox. A pacey, sharp and skilful addition to the Rangers first team might just give the side a touch of the creativity absent since the departure of Dutch legend Ronald de Boer.
However, while few fans would doubt Buffel’s talent, and recognise some of his definite contributions to the side, there is a massive divide between the fans regarding other aspects of the attacker’s game.
There is a lot of feeling that he simply does not work hard enough, and shirks too many tough challenges from opponents. Furthermore, he is accused of an incriminating lack of consistency and subsequent unsuitability to the rigours of the SPL.
His supporters believe he genuinely does work hard, and makes plenty of imaginative and useful runs which are not picked up, and indeed has shown on more than one occasion the ability to fight off brutal opposition.
Whichever side is taken, the mere fact there is such a strict division in feeling over him does support credibility on either side. If it was clear-cut one way or the other, there would evidently be no split in opinion.
His supporters would love nothing more than to see him emerge in the first-team next season as a major and integral part of the team, while his cynics want him as far away from Ibrox as possible, but as good supporters, would put their hands up should he show to them what his fans believe they already see.
Currently, Buffel is injured and out of the picture for this term. He is on the road to recovery and, of course, was very close to a move to German side Hannover in the January window. That did not materialise, and he remains at Ibrox, with public admissions of his contentment in Glasgow and his desire to impact with the team next season.
What all supporters will agree on, whether a fan of his or not, is that Rangers need a strong squad, and that an on-form Buffel (or, indeed, any other player) terrorising opposition defences would be a good asset to the team.
Few players have split the Rangers support down the middle this way this Belgian attacker has.
Bought by then-manager Alex McLeish in January 2005 for a fee of around £2.3M from Dutch giants Feyenoord, the creative attacking midfielder was a fairly unknown quantity in Britain.
The circumstances surrounding his exit from his Dutch employers are equally as mystifying as his stock in the UK was. There was apparently a contract dispute, and the Belgians’ refusal to sign a new one, and his alienation from the squad. The question is whether his alienation from the squad was the direct reason he would not sign an extension, or if his refusal to sign the contract caused said alienation. In other words, which way around was it? A suggestion could be posed that it would be unlikely Ruud Gullit would wish to extend the contract of a player he wanted rid of, and that the notion of the loss of his place was down to his reluctance to extend his stay in Rotterdam. It is all conjecture, however, and what is known for sure is Gullit parted with Buffel as a consequence of Rangers’ bid for him.
The notion of an exciting attacker in the mould of a Kaka type filled the fans with a fair degree of optimism about his future at Ibrox. A pacey, sharp and skilful addition to the Rangers first team might just give the side a touch of the creativity absent since the departure of Dutch legend Ronald de Boer.
However, while few fans would doubt Buffel’s talent, and recognise some of his definite contributions to the side, there is a massive divide between the fans regarding other aspects of the attacker’s game.
There is a lot of feeling that he simply does not work hard enough, and shirks too many tough challenges from opponents. Furthermore, he is accused of an incriminating lack of consistency and subsequent unsuitability to the rigours of the SPL.
His supporters believe he genuinely does work hard, and makes plenty of imaginative and useful runs which are not picked up, and indeed has shown on more than one occasion the ability to fight off brutal opposition.
Whichever side is taken, the mere fact there is such a strict division in feeling over him does support credibility on either side. If it was clear-cut one way or the other, there would evidently be no split in opinion.
His supporters would love nothing more than to see him emerge in the first-team next season as a major and integral part of the team, while his cynics want him as far away from Ibrox as possible, but as good supporters, would put their hands up should he show to them what his fans believe they already see.
Currently, Buffel is injured and out of the picture for this term. He is on the road to recovery and, of course, was very close to a move to German side Hannover in the January window. That did not materialise, and he remains at Ibrox, with public admissions of his contentment in Glasgow and his desire to impact with the team next season.
What all supporters will agree on, whether a fan of his or not, is that Rangers need a strong squad, and that an on-form Buffel (or, indeed, any other player) terrorising opposition defences would be a good asset to the team.
posted by RangersMedia @ 6:33 PM
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