Rae backs Boyd to learn from mistakes

12 March 2009 17:19
Boyd's future at Ibrox has again been the topic of discussion after he was sent packing from the club's Murray Park training ground on Monday after receiving a dressing down from Walter Smith over his attitude at being dropped for Sunday's Homecoming Scottish Cup win over Hamilton. The 25-year-old has withdrawn his services from the national side after he felt he was spending too much time on the bench under George Burley, and it is his on-going search for a regular start under Smith which led to this recent spat. The former Kilmarnock striker returned to training yesterday, where he apologised to Smith, but looks unlikely to start in Sunday's Co-operative Insurance Cup final against Celtic at Hampden. Rae admits to his own, differing problems as a younger professional. He successfully battled alcohol problems as a Sunderland player in the 1990s to extend his career which included his two-year spell with his boyhood heroes between 2004 and 2006. The former Dundee manager insists only Boyd can get his attitude right. He said: "Without knowing the details about Kris, I had similar problems myself as a younger man and finished up, in my eyes, being a model professional. "There were a lot of people who tried to give me advice when I was a younger man but it is just through your own experiences that you learn. "You don't learn from anyone else's experiences. "I learned the hard way and hopefully Kris will learn. "I had players like that as a manager but like most people, including myself, you tend to forget your own behaviour as a young man. "But you are not there to judge; you are there to try and help but hopefully Kris can get through this. "I hope it is a turning point," Rae added. "He has ability in abundance and there is still more to come. "You have to remember that he's still young, he's only in his mid-20s so he has another 10 years ahead of him. "When it comes to goals, he is second to none, he has a fantastic record and so he has to stick to the positives." Despite his admiration for Boyd, Rae is glad he is not facing the dilemma of selecting the Ibrox attack for Sunday's game. He said: "It looks like they're going with Kenny Miller and Kyle Lafferty this weekend. "But you never know with Walter, he likes to throw a surprise in. "Celtic tend to struggle against players with a lot of mobility so I would probably go with Lafferty and Miller. "But it's difficult to say what permutation is the best. "Boyd scored four goals in two cup finals last season and Boyd and Miller have well over 30 goals between them this season. "That's why Walter is getting paid a lot of money."

Source: Team_Talk