CIFTCI A RISK WORTH TAKING
Rankin backs striker to lift Motherwell
EVEN if the descendants of Beethoven and Mozart had spawned a lovechild into the world of football management, it’s difficult to imagine their offspring would have enjoyed any notable success in coaxing a tune out of Nadir Ciftci over the past couple of years. An enigmatic figure who marches to the beat of his own drum, the 25-year-old Turkish striker had largely become the forgotten man of Scottish football until Motherwell announced they had signed him on loan from Celtic earlier this week. The Fir Park outfit have become Ciftci’s fifth club since he left Dundee United for Parkhead for £1.5million in the summer of 2015, following spells with Eskisehirspor in Turkey, Pogon Szczecin in Poland and Plymouth Argyle in England’s third tier. Under the guidance of Derek Adams at Plymouth, he was initially signed from Celtic on a season-long loan. After failing to score in eight games, however, and standing accused of being a disruptive influence in the dressing room, the club terminated the deal. Plymouth sat bottom of League One when Ciftci played his last game for them on November 25. Damningly, since axing him from the team, they now sit comfortably in mid-table, their form having improved dramatically courtesy of five wins in their last seven games. But his problems extend far beyond the past six months. Ciftci’s last goal of any description came in May 2016, a time when the very notion of a Donald Trump Presidency seemed even more laughable than the reality it has become. All of which would make the job on Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson’s hands seem all the more sizeable as he bids to arrest a slump in form which has seen his side go from chasing European football to now being in danger of slipping into a relegation battle.
It seems like one heck of a punt to recruit a player desperately short of form and fitness as the club seek to replace the prolific talents of Louis Moult.
But to those who know Ciftci best, Motherwell needn’t worry. The rewards by far outweigh any risk that might be attached to the deal.
‘I don’t see it as a gamble whatsoever,’ said John Rankin who, as captain of Dundee United, spent two years as Ciftci’s team-mate following his arrival at Tannadice in July 2013.
‘What Motherwell have is a player coming into the peak years of his career, when the penny will drop that he has to produce the goods if he wants to keep playing at a top level.
‘I think they have a top player on their hands. It’s just a case of now getting the best out of him, which I think they will do.
‘To do that, he needs to play up top by himself. That’s the one thing he needs above all else. He isn’t great at playing with a partner.
‘He needs to be the main man. He thrives on that, being the top dog and the player the opposition are talking about trying to stop.
‘He maybe didn’t have that at Celtic because he had so many other good players around him.
‘Nadir actually loves being the guy who carries the team going forward. That’s what made him at United.
‘He loves the limelight and being the pantomime villain. Defenders would try to target him but he would just use his strength and skill to embarrass them.
‘I think the Motherwell fans will really take to him because they’ll see he’s a bit different. He can do things with the ball no other player on the park can do.’
When Brendan Rodgers arrived at Celtic Park in 2016, he didn’t take long to deem Ciftci surplus to requirements. To his eternal credit, Jackie McNamara remains the only manager to have got the best out of the player at Tannadice.
It was under McNamara — alongside Andy Robertson, Ryan Gauld, Gary Mackay-Steven, Stuart Armstrong et al — that Ciftci excelled as the focal point of a United team renowned for its attacking football.
‘I remember Jackie brought him in on trial at United,’ said Rankin. ‘He had that flash of something different.’
Rankin recalls him pouncing on an error by Rangers keeper Steve Simonsen in a 3-1 Scottish Cup semi-final win at Ibrox in 2014.
‘He took the ball round the keeper and was running away celebrating before he’d actually put the ball in the net,’ said Rankin. ‘I remember laughing to myself. It summed him up brilliantly. He’s just so confident in his own ability. That can only benefit Motherwell. ‘There aren’t many other teams in the Premiership who can boast a player of that ability. I’ve seen it first-hand — Motherwell have got themselves a proper match-winner.’