Ronald de Boer: Joey Barton could be exactly the player Rangers need
via Evening Times |
RONALD DE BOER believes Joey Barton is exactly the player Rangers need for next season – if the former firebrand has matured.
Barton was in Glasgow over the weekend and held talks with Mark Warburton about a shock two-year deal at Ibrox.
And De Boer, who was at Rangers for four seasons, was adamant that this was a risk worth taking by his former club who he feels could do with an older head in the dressing room.
De Boer said: “I have seen Joey Barton play and I think he is a player with a lot of experience.
“What is important when you go up to the next step is to have players who have been there, seen it and done it.
“He is maybe not the best player to come to Rangers, but he has an attitude over him that he is here for one thing only – winning games.
“He has that and he can give that to the young boys because Rangers are a young squad. You need that kind of character in the dressing room and on the training ground.
“Barton can help them make the next step.
“He’s getting older and when that happens you get more sensible.
“When I was 18 and driving my car (fast) you think it’s great fun. But now when you are 46 you look back and think ‘what was I thinking at that time?’ I think Joey Barton is not the same guy at 33 that he was at 25.
“If he is fit with no injuries he can be an important player and a calmer player too.
“They need a guy with a little bit of that fire in him. They will tell him ‘we need some fire – but we don’t need an explosion.”
De Boer played with such a fiery player, Fernando Ricksen, during his Rangers days and can see a comparison between him and Barton.
The two Dutchmen were polar opposites but they eventually clicked on the park when Ricksen learned how to contain his emotions.
De Boer said: “We had an experienced group of players who were able to speak to Fernando. He was a great player.
“When I first came to Rangers and I was just walking onto the training ground and suddenly he came and tackled me and took the ball away and that was me just walking onto the pitch! He was so hyper!
“But he controlled himself better and and that comes with age. When you were younger, you did things that you would now think twice about.”
If Barton does join Rangers then the biggest test for him is going to be his first meeting with Celtic.
De Boer, however, believes the experienced midfielder will be able to cope.
He said: “When you are young and you come into the Old Firm environment, then there is a bigger chance you will lose your head than when you are 33.
“I would put money that the 22 year old keeps his head better than when you were 20.”
Ronald de Boer was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is the proud sponsor of the Scottish Cup.
