The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘It broke my heart’: But Lafferty glad to be back
Northern Ireland star jumps at the chance to ‘redeem’ himself at Rangers
Kyle Lafferty seized his unexpected chance to “redeem” himself at Rangers as he claimed his Ibrox exit left him with a broken heart.
Lafferty has signed a two-year contract after moving from Hearts for an undisclosed fee six years after declining the chance to transfer his employment to the Rangers newco after the club went into liquidation.
The Northern Ireland international had spent four years at Ibrox, hitting 38 goals and lifting three league titles, and did not disguise his delight at being back in light blue.
The 30-year-old, who goes straight into the squad for tonight’s Europa League play-off first leg against Russian side Ufa, told Rangers TV: “I have supported them since I was a kid and I have played here before, but obviously the way I left I was disappointed to walk out those doors six/seven years ago.
“Basically it broke my heart, but to be given a second chance to redeem myself and put things right, I jumped at the chance. I am happy to be home.
“Of course I always wanted to come back and put things right and show the fans what I am all about. Did I think I would get another chance though? Not really.
“I went to Hearts last season and had a good season and now I have been given a second chance, which I am lucky to have.”
Gerrard is keen to harness Lafferty’s experience of winning trophies in a Rangers shirt.
“That’s the key, that’s vital to us,” the Ibrox boss said. “He knows what this club is about. There is no risk in terms of him performing in front of the demands of this crowd and this club, and the expectation.
“I believe we’re a young squad so he brings vital experience to us. He’s a Rangers nut, he is desperate to come, and I think he ticks all the boxes that I’m looking for, what I want from a frontman.
Hearts owner Ann Budge told fans the club had little option but to sell Lafferty, the Jambos’ top scorer last season with 19 goals, after the forward made his desire to sign for Rangers known.
Budge told the club’s official website: “It is no secret that this has been a particularly difficult and drawn-out affair.
“While we have no desire to sell our players to other teams in the league, when a player has his mind fully set on moving, it is difficult to reach an alternative conclusion.
“The deal, when completed, will suit all parties and, importantly, will allow Craig to focus his efforts on finalising potential deals to add to his playing squad – having brought in 13 players already this summer – and preparing the team for their Ladbrokes Premiership match at Kilmarnock, where they will bid to go eight games unbeaten.
“It will also allow me to return my attentions to progressing the development of our new, multi-millionpound main stand and improving the matchday experience for our supporters.”
Meanwhile, Ufa boss Sergei Tomarov played down his side’s visa worries as he insisted the Russians are fully focused on halting Rangers.
It was reported over the weekend that Tomarov’s men feared they might be kicked out of the Europa League.
Delays in securing the required paperwork needed to enter the UK ahead of the first leg at Ibrox left them sweating on their place in the competition.
However, disaster was averted on Monday when Ufa got the seal of approval from the UK Government – but only after Tomarov and his squad were forced to visit the British Consulate just hours before taking on Moscow Dynamo in the Russian capital.
His side suffered a 3-0 defeat to Dynamo but Tomarov insists there will be no hangover from the drama when they take on Steven Gerrard’s men.
“We didn’t really have an issue with the visas but we had problems with the time because we only found out we were coming here on Thursday, so we had very limited time to apply,” he said.
“We played a match on Monday and the British Consulate is based only in Moscow and St Petersburg and we had to allow time to travel there.
“The actual problem was because we played that game with Dynamo on Monday and we had to be at the consulate the same day, so that was the main hurdle.
“All the Russian-speaking players had to go to the consulate, even those who did not travel with us today because we were unaware if there might be any injuries or other unexpected delays, so everybody had to go.”