Smith: It's time to build a team around Kris Boyd

Sep 28 2008 By Gordon Waddell

Premier League Hibs V Rangers Today, Kick-Off 2pm Live On Setanta

WALTER SMITH last night admitted it's time to build his Rangers team around Kris Boyd's goalscoring gifts - despite the striker's shortcomings.

The frontman's wondergoal against Partick Thistle on Wednesday re-opened a debate that has run almost since the day Boyd bagged a debut hat-trick against Peterhead in 2006.

Is scoring goals enough? For so long Smith's answer to that seemed to be no as he left the 25-year-old cooling on the bench in every bigmatch Gers played. Only three European starts in the last 21, not a minute played in the past five Old Firm games.

But the Ibrox gaffer now admits that was as much his problem as it was Boyd's - because he never built a team or played a style to accommodate the striker.

Smith said: "I'm not a statistics man but Kris has probably played in 75 per cent of the games since I came back as manager.

"The fact the ones he missed were the bigger matches can be a criticism of us as well.

"Kris has played long enough for us to know what his assets are.

"So I'd hope the team will start to get stronger in the sense that we feel comfortable playing him in a lot of these games and we can handle all the other aspects you need to win a match.

"Because there are aspects of Boyd's play everybody sees as not the best.

"There's a fair disparity between his level of finishing and his overall level of play.

"Throughout my time in football there have always been guys like that, especially finishers.

"People say they don't do an awful lot else other than score.

"It's the manager's decision then. When you put him on the pitch you know that's what he is.

"Throughout last year in a lot of the bigger games we played with one striker. We needed to have someone more productive in terms of his overall work.

"There aren't many players better than Kris in terms of finishing. So it leaves a manager with a bit of a conundrum.

"Every player can improve - if you're worth your salt as a player experience should help. But if you look at Kris now, that's how he's going to be through his career."

Smith's best hope of finding the system that gives Boyd freedom looks like pairing him with the player who makes up most for his shortcomings - Kenny Miller.

The two Scotland strikers have finally been teamed up top for Gers in the past two league games. And they helped Smith's side chalk up victories over Kilmarnock and Motherwell.

But despite recognising the benefits of a grafter-and-grabber partnership, the Rangers manager insists he has more weapons.

He said: "Jean-Claude Darcheville played the other night against Thistle and did well.

"Andrius Velicka is also on his way back after being ill for the last 10 days or so.

"Kyle Lafferty is coming back too and I would eventually see him settling down as a striker.

"But Kenny and Kris have done OK. Kenny has the capability of working outside the penalty area while Kris' main asset is his finishing which he does inside the box. So from that point of view they are a good partnership.

"But then Kris never played in the win at Celtic Park and we managed to score four goals there. So we have choices."

It's a luxury Smith has in most areas of the park, summed up by his decision to axe keeper Allan McGregor for Neil Alexander.

One player whose place isn't in danger, though, is Kirk Broadfoot. Smith has been impressed with the defender and hopes he continues his good start to the season in today's clash with Hibs.

The Ibrox boss said: "Kirk has been terrific. The Scotland manager was quoted as saying Kirk is a boy who makes the most of what he's got and I think George Burley was praising him.

"I would tell any boy who wanted to be a footballer that if you have Broadfoot's attitude you give yourself a really good chance.

"That's what George meant. He wasn't demeaning Kirk and it suited the people who were criticising him to write it in the manner they did.

"What he said was correct. I don't think I've met a player who makes more of what he's got.

"Kirk will get better with experience as well. He's inclined to do everything at 100 miles an hour because he's so keen but there are aspects of his game he'll improve on.

"You just need to ask him to do something and he'll go away to practise it. He can play any position as well - I think right-back was the only place we didn't see him play before we signed him.

"But that's where Kirk will settle as he imposes himself on a game there. He gets forward and with a wee bit of improvement in his crossing he could become exceptional.

"But I wouldn't want to tie him to that position because he has done well at centre-half for us too."