Glasgow Rangers midfielder Graham Dorrans has arguably been poor since he returned from injury for the Ibrox side.
In terms of the players that Rangers’ supporters would have been most disappointed with during their poor recent run, Graham Dorrans surely has to be up there having really struggled to make much of an impact on the team since he returned from more than five months on the sidelines with injury.
Dorrans looked like an inspired signing earlier in the season, taking little time to establish himself as a key man in the Gers lineup. However, the injury really appears to have derailed his season.
The 30-year-old seemed to go missing in the two recent Old Firm games, proving to be completely outshone in the midfield battle by Scott Brown who is arguably enjoying one of the best periods of his career.
And, as much as Rangers fans would hate to admit it, it is arguably because of Brown’s stunning form that the Ibrox faithful must not give up on Dorrans becoming the Light Blues’ talisman in future.
When Celtic faced Rangers in April 2016 in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup, it was Brown’s turn to be run ragged in the middle of the park with Andy Halliday arguably putting in his finest display since joining the Gers.
Brown’s form had been a real concern for a while and the semi-final left many suggesting that the 32-year-old was edging towards the end of his career at the very top. However, his superb return to form the following season highlighted that Brown was not finished, but had rather, probably returned too soon from a lengthy period of injury that had seen him make just one appearance in around three months.
It is easy to forget how off the pace Brown appeared to be during those final months of Ronny Deila’s tenure simply because he has been fantastic ever since, and being able to take the time to fully recover from his injuries surely has to be a factor.
There is no reason to believe that Dorrans was rushed back, but it must be mentioned that there was also a large number of calls for the former Norwich City man to return to the first-team while he was building his fitness up with appearances for the development side, and perhaps the decision may have been taken too hastily with the senior side struggling.
Perhaps the end of the season may prove the blessing for Dorrans that it ended up being for Brown two years ago. And maybe it is because of Brown’s transformation at that stage of his career that Rangers fans can, reluctantly, take some hope into next season that Dorrans is far from being finished at Ibrox.
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