Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Boyd hungry to add to SPL tally

Kris Boyd scored a hat-trick inside 30 minutes
Boyd has added 97 SPL goals at Ibrox to the 63 he notched at Kilmarnock

Goal-hungry Kris Boyd plans to continue adding to his Rangers haul, which has just overtaken Henrik Larsson's Scottish Premier League record.

The Ibrox striker rattled five past Dundee United at Ibrox on Wednesday in a 7-1 win, taking his SPL tally to 160, two more than Celtic's former talisman.

Rangers may be tempted by a January bid for him, but Boyd said: "I've always said I wanted to stay here.

"The fans have been great and hopefully I can repay them for years to come."

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish tried unsuccessfully to prise Boyd away from Ibrox in January, and it is likely that when the transfer window opens on Friday there will be suitors keen to add the player to their ranks with an offer to cash-strapped Rangers.

But after the comprehensive win over United on Wednesday, one that extends the Light Blues' lead to seven points at the top of the SPL, Boyd said his focus was on the Glasgow club.

"When you look at the stadium, look at the fans, there's not much more that you could want. I want to repay the fans by winning trophies - that's the most important thing," he told BBC Scotland.

If I keep working hard, hopefully I can keep improving, adding more and become a better team player

Kris Boyd

And Boyd, who was subbed for Andrew Little with 10 minutes to go, said of the forthcoming Old Firm match: "I'm delighted to get what I did tonight and hopefully we can go to Parkhead on Sunday and get a result."

His manager at Ibrox, Walter Smith, said of his number nine's contribution: "It was a fantastic performance. He's been playing exceptionally well in areas which, in the past, haven't been the best for him in terms of linking up and playing for the team.

"He's been doing that really well and obviously that has not affected his goal tally.

"Having spoken to him about it, he said he has started to realise that there is more involved than finishing.

"Tonight was a fantastic level of finishing. We had all types of goals. You just can't speak highly enough about that aspect."

Smith's comments point to the improvements Boyd has made to his game outside the penalty box, something the former Kilmarnock front man (for whom he scored 63 SPL goals) recognises in his own play.

"The goals are still there and I feel I'm doing more for the team, but hopefully there is still a lot more to come," he said.

"If I keep working hard, hopefully I can keep improving, adding more and become a better team player."

Rangers striker Kris Boyd
Boyd is held aloft by Lee McCulloch after equalling Larsson's record

Scotland manager Craig Levein was in the Ibrox stand to witness Boyd's record-setting performance and he and the national team may yet be the beneficiaries of the striker's prowess.

In October 2008, Boyd said he no longer wished to be selected by George Burley, the Scotland manager at the time, after being used very sparingly in international games.

But this week he has said that is ready and willing to play a part for his country again, if selected for future Scotland squads.

Boyd said of his controversial Scotland exit: "When I look back, I had to make a decision. I said I didn't feel I was going anywhere, going away for ten days and sitting on a bench.

"I knew something had to give and I've come back to club level and proved to myself that I could play week in, week out.

"That has been the case and that has gone a long way to the form I'm showing at the moment."

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