As football fans, we sometimes forget how important a particular transfer is, we find ourselves get lost amid the success or disappointment of the players spell. In this series I aim to pick out one particular player from each Rangers manager in my lifetime, and the overall importance of that transfer and why.
I now move on in this series with a player from the Dick Advocaat era. This was a fairly easy one for me, due in large parts to many of Advocaat’s signings been of pretty poor quality for the money outlayed. The player in question I have picked out from that time frame is Arthur Numan.
Arthur Numan, arrived to sign at Ibrox sporting a black eye from angry PSV fans, to be fair after a few games it was easy to see just why they were so upset, he was a cultured left back and made the position look effortless.
Numan was just simply class, he was all one footed, that did not hold him back in any form at all. Before his move to Rangers he had played on the left wing and at left back for PSV and the Dutch national side.
He arrived at a time and stage that we were desperate for an upgrade at left back, having seen both Gary Stevens and David Roberson command the position we were forced to endure the likes of Stale Stensass and Alec Cleland in the years previous to Numan’s arrival. Even Gary Bollan played for us.
Advocaat clearly knew the player well, from his time as boss of PSV, making Numan the captain of his side and had highlighted it as key role to us retaining our title.
His time in Scotland was hampered by injuries, forcing the player to miss out on many important and big games, but when he did play he made all the difference. Serving as vice captain and all the time helping coach a nurture a young Barry Ferguson, I’m not quite sure that without the influence of Numan, Fergie becomes quite the level of player we witnessed or as influential. I have factored that into my decision-making.
Despite all this, and the high fee paid by us Numan’s impact when he played was an overall positive one, I for one dread to think of the alternatives.
I know many will argue, that Rod Wallace was the best singing made in the Advocaat era, after all the best things in life are free.
