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Pinning Kyle Lafferty to the dressing-room wall inside Pittodrie, David Weir delivered a no-holds barred assessment of the striker’s underwhelming performance.
The former Rangers captain now recalls the tirade with a smile. But he wasn’t laughing in November 2009. A goal down to ten-man Aberdeen, Walter Smith’s side would go on to lose that heated clash and slip behind Celtic at the top of the table.
Smith clearly agreed with his skipper’s verdict on Lafferty’s lacklustre contribution. Substituted at half-time, the Northern Ireland international would later publicly thank Weir for his brutal dressing down.
David Weir, pictured on Monday, says he once pinned Kyle Lafferty to the dressing-room wall
It was, he insisted, a wake-up call that improved both his work rate and attitude.
Proof wasn’t long in arriving. Five months later, Lafferty scored the decisive goal as Rangers sealed the second of three successive titles at Easter Road.
That helped build his reputation for thriving in the latter part of a campaign. Steven Gerrard will now be hoping to see a similar blossoming in the player’s second spell at Ibrox.
Lafferty scored his first Premiership goal in five months against Hamilton on Sunday, raising confidence as he prepares to return to Pittodrie for Sunday’s high-stakes Scottish Cup quarter-final.
Weir is confident his old team-mate could make a positive impact. This time, there shouldn’t be a need for Lafferty to receive a rocket before attaining lift-off.
‘It was spontaneous,’ reflected Weir. ‘The emotion got involved and I just felt I had to say something. I’m not even sure if I was the captain that day.
‘I just felt I had to say something because I wasn’t happy and that’s how you dealt with it – in the dressing room.
Lafferty (C) scored the decisive goal as Rangers sealed the second of three successive titles
‘You said what needed to be said and then went out and tried to win the game. On that occasion, I felt Kyle could have helped us more. When you go up to places like Aberdeen, you need everyone working hard and everyone contributing and I didn’t feel like he was doing enough.
‘I just wasn’t happy with him, to be honest. I thought that was my job. It wasn’t something I did regularly, I didn’t have to do it. The manager was more than capable of doing it as well, to be fair.
‘It was quite an unusual situation for me to react like that. Fortunately, Walter backed me up in it. I think he then came off!
‘It’s what football is all about. It’s all about learning lessons and improving and trying to take lessons from managers and players and coaches. I’m not going to claim any credit for it.
‘It was our Christmas night out, so we flew from Aberdeen to Bournemouth and we ended up laughing about it. That’s the way it works. Say your bit and move on. That’s life.’ Weir would have few fears about Lafferty reacting the right way if granted a chance by Gerrard to build upon his Accies strike.
Rangers face Dundee in the Premiership on Wednesday evening before heading to the north east.
Kyle Lafferty scores the fifth goal during the Scottish Premiership victory over Hamilton
‘Kyle often came alive towards the end of the season and that’s because he responded to the pressure. He’s got that in his locker,’ added the 48-year-old, who returned to Ibrox as assistant manager under Mark Warburton.
‘He’s got ability and maybe he had the motivation for the big games. It’s the same in international games, where he went on a run of contributing important goals in really big games.
‘Some players rise to the occasion and Kyle’s career has had lots of highlights and good games, but probably not enough good seasons and consistency in his game.
‘I think he needed the goal at the weekend. With Jermain Defoe coming in and Alfredo Morelos obviously doing very well, he has fallen down the pecking order.
‘He would have been delighted to go back to Rangers on the big stage after doing so well at Hearts and I think he needs a bit of confidence to get in the team. But, on his day, he’s a real handful and he’s a good option to have.’ Morelos, of course, has had different issues where Aberdeen are concerned. Scorer of 27 goals overall, the Colombian’s three red cards mean he has yet to finish 90 minutes against Derek McInnes’ men this season.
The most recent of those dismissals earned a three-match ban, which has just been completed.
The Northern Irishman celebrates after scoring his first Premiership goal in five months
Weir stresses his admiration for the 22-year-old’s attacking talents, which have clearly been honed and improved under Gerrard’s tutelage. But he also believes there has to be a personal responsibility to show he is capable of learning from past mistakes.
‘Once a player goes on the pitch, it is difficult to influence them,’ added Weir. ‘I’m sure they will be speaking to him and explaining the situation.
‘The best players play on the edge but, hopefully, Alfredo, who is still a young man, will learn how to use that passion in the right way rather than missing football games.
‘Missing games is the biggest punishment and he has missed a lot of games already.’ Weir is the last Rangers captain to lift a trophy – the 2011 league title – and recognises the increasing pressure for that barren run to end.
With his side eight points behind Celtic in the Premiership, Gerrard has admitted the Scottish Cup is their most realistic chance of silverware.
‘I think that is a fair point,’ added Weir. ‘Rangers have got to get back to the stage where they are winning trophies.
‘The league is the most important. It is the one you want to win but winning a cup can be a stepping stone towards that.’
Premier Sports will screen live and exclusive coverage of Hibernian v Celtic (Sat March 2) and Aberdeen v Rangers (Sun March 3) in the Scottish Cup. Premier Sports will also screen Real Madrid v Barcelona live on Saturday, March 2. Available on Sky, Virgin TV and via the Premier Player, new subscribers can get their first month free. Visit www.premiersports.com for details.
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