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Fringe Benefits Friday, 20 January 2012 12:09 Written by croatianbicycles

Initially I intended to examine the contribution that three fringe players: John Fleck, Salim Kerkar and David Healy can offer, and have offered- but since John Fleck has departed on a 6 month loan to Championship side Blackpool it is slightly cut-short. 

Somewhat a mystery man when he signed, Salim Kerkar became a cult hero with the Champions, before even making a competitive appearance. The sense of mystery added to the hype and excitement. Kerkar finally made his competitive debut towards the end of the 2010-11 season, a brief substitute appearance in a win away to Motherwell. Kerkar made his second and third Rangers appearances, also against Motherwell both this season in 3-0 wins. The latter saw the Algerian inches away from his first goal for the light blues.

The moment every Rangers fan wished for finally came true in a Scottish cup tie away to Arbroath… well, other than league titles and Old Firm wins. Kerkar scored! A superb volley, no exaggeration! El-Hadji Diouf during his short stint with the champions compared Salim to Zinidine Zidane, perhaps there was a touch of irony present (or just El-Hadji’s general madness) but Salim’s volley is certainly a finish Zinidine would have been proud of. Salim made his third league appearance of the season away to St. Johnstone, again from the substitute bench- his impact was immediate… well that’s what we’ll say we’ve got a god-like status to maintain- Rangers scored their second goal immediately through Croatian hitman Nikica Jelavic. It might not sound like I’m being serious, generally because of the cloud that shrouds Salim, but he certainly is capable of playing a part. In his short appearance in Perth, he gave the right back some problems, put a few teasing crosses in and helped run the clock down. If Salim can keep that up, he could well play a vital role in our title pursuit. 

David Healy, Northern Ireland’s record scorer, is another fringe player who may well prove to have a vital part in the title run-in. Healy’s first league start of the season was the Gers’ first game of 2012. A home tie versus Motherwell, a performance the Ulsterman marked with a goal. A strong performance throughout was rewarded with a start the following week at Gayfield in Arbroath. Healy scored the opened the scoring as Rangers went on to win 4-0. Healy started again against Saint Johnstone last weekend and had some decent chances, being critical he should have scored. The boyhood Rangers fan is living his dream. The old cliché of giving 110% couldn’t be more apt, Healy gives his all. Healy will score goals if selected and given a run in the team- goals which could be telling in the title run-in. 

Both players are on the fringes of the first team, both are more than able to step-up and play (I had to squeeze that in somewhere!) when called upon. It will take a team effort for us to retain the title for the fourth consecutive year. Individuals will win matches but teams win championships.