IN THE debate over the merits of Kris Boyd, those expressing sympathy for his decision to blank Scotland have tended to be outsiders looking in. Ringing endorsements of the Rangers striker from those tasked to play him, or play with him, haven't always been forthcoming.
Last week, his club manager Walter Smith described Boyd as the "biggest enigma" he had met. And as Jean-Claude Darcheville politely attempted to take the middle ground on his Ibrox partner preferences , he only succeeded in highlighting Boyd's short
comings.
"Kenny (Miller] is good," said the Frenchman, on who he likes to operate alongside, before rushing to add: "though I can play with Boydie and Nacho Novo, and it is very important that you know I'm not saying I prefer Kenny.
"When you play with a partner, it is very important to have a good relationship. For this you need two strikers who move. Every striker at the club is good, every striker has a different style. Everybody knows Boydie doesn't move a lot, but in the box he's the best striker in the team.
"It's good for the manager because you may need one type of striker for one game when you know you have a lot of balls coming in to the box. For that you can have Boydie.
"When I play, I prefer a striker who moves with ease. It is not as difficult. If it is only you who moves every time, after 50, 60 minutes, you tire."
So, in essence, Darcheville is saying he welcomes those days when he doesn't have to run himself into the ground to compensate for Boyd's immobility. Ahead of this weekend, it surprised that in Rangers' recent games Smith had spared the 32-year-old an tiring shift by linking him with Miller.
Darcheville has become the prime groan-and-grumble-inducing player for the Rangers support. In part because his inclusion means Boyd warms the bench and, in part, because he is the antithesis of the man he is keeping out of the side. His industry outside the box has been laudable but, with no goals in a handful of appearances, his efforts inside it have been lamentable.
"I'm disappointed with myself because I know in the time I've been at Rangers I've never given more than 60% of my capacity because I've had problems. (As well as injuries last year] there were a lot of times I had to play on my own up front and I need a partner," he said.
"This year, though, I've been working well because I have had a good training programme that I've never had before. This has been my best form in Scotland because I've been working hard.
"A lot of times people judged you only on your scoring. When it's full time and people count your goals, maybe they don't count a run you made to create space for another to score. The manager sees these things better than anyone else, better than you journalists."
Smith sees something in Darcheville that is being missed by many. He is unlikely, though, to see enough to consider offering him a new deal that would allow him to play "one or two more years" before retiring in a country that he and his wife are settled in.
"The club haven't said anything to me yet about the possibility of extending my contract," he said. "If I score a lot of goals maybe the manager will give me one more year. I played in France for 13 years and don't want to go back there. I love the fact in Scotland the stadiums are full wherever we play."
The full article contains 618 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
