I’d leap at an Ibrox return, says Lafferty
FORMER Rangers bad boy Kyle Lafferty has admitted he wants a second spell at the club in order to restore his battered reputation. The Northern Ireland international left Ibrox fans incensed in the summer of 2012 when he walked out post-liquidation to join Swiss side Sion on a free transfer. But, as he prepares to play in Glasgow for the first time in almost three years in
tomorrow night’s international friendly at Hampden, the 27-year-old revealed he has unfinished business at Rangers. ‘Some Rangers fans have asked me if I’d go back there — and I’d jump at the chance,’ admitted Lafferty, who is under contract at Norwich until the summer of 2017 but is currently on loan at Turkish side Caykur Rizespor. ‘But whether that’s an option or not is another thing.’ Lafferty won three SPL titles and both League and Scottish Cups during his controversial spell at the Govan club between 2008 and 2012. However, he saw his attitude and commitment regularly questioned amid a series of on and off-field mishaps, including high-profile bust-ups with both Neil Lennon and Ally McCoist. Lafferty was one of a number of leading players who were branded mercenaries by then-chief executive Charles Green after exercising their right to refuse to transfer their registrations over to newco Rangers. ‘What happened for me at Rangers was disappointing,’ he continued. ‘The way it happened (leaving on a free after liquidation) wasn’t how I wanted to end my career there — but it had to be done. ‘But I’ve supported Rangers since I was a young boy and I still support them now. And it would be good to go back to change people’s perceptions of me. ‘If I went back now, I’d definitely let my football do the talking. And, hopefully, that would change people’s minds about me because I’m much more mature now.’