With the recent Ryan Kent stuff doing the rounds, Ibrox Noise has been observing general reaction and comments to the possibility of the ex-Rangers winger returning.
While a fair number of fans are interested in the idea, in seeing what Philippe Clement could do with him, the majority of supporters are frankly filled with rage over the notion, as our poll suggested earlier.
The thing is, the most common argument used against him, aside his admittedly unwise decision to wear such dreadfully-inappropriate attire on his leaving night, is that he ‘downed tools’ and was a ‘disgrace’ in his final season.
The problem with this opinion is that it’s extremely flawed, hypocritical, and inconsistent.
Why?
The same fans who slagged off Michael Beale, who rage against him as the most useless manager Rangers have ever had, who slur him for dumping wingers and playing centrally and having no idea what he was doing… are the same ones who then blame Ryan Kent who was suffering that mismanagement.
The same fans, that we recall vividly PRAISING Kent when Beale first came in, over the course of November up till early January, describing Kent as the most improved player since the manager arrived along with Fashion Sakala (who are probably now saying ‘I didn’t see that’ and ‘I don’t recall that’) are now the ones saying he was a disgrace last season.
The reason, as we’ve explored, for Kent’s loss of form was his atrociously bad management by the worst boss Rangers have ever had, where the manager was doing lord knows what to Kent and indeed other players suffered terribly for it.
A tonne of Rangers’ players suffered under Beale, and yet for some reason, more than most, Kent gets it in the neck for ‘being a disgrace’.
As you may have noticed, Ibrox Noise doesn’t share that rage.
He’s a top winger who suffered a raw deal, who actually left Rangers because of Beale, a bit like the rest of them, but is tainted by that management as a shirker by so many fans who love to pin blame on someone.
Kent, who never once said a word about leaving, who never treated Rangers and our fans with anything other than respect, and never slurred or undermined us unlike Alfredo Morelos, is for some reason hated by a lot of fans.
Will we change their mind with this piece? Nope, they will probably hate him even more for it.
But Ryan Kent never did anything wrong aside wearing a baseball cap when he shouldn’t, and now he’s public enemy number one.
Que sera.