The unfortunate Lyall Cameron Rangers-Dundee situation - and the text that proved Ibrox move was in post

Young midfielder’s journey to Ibrox has been long and winding

It isn't necessarily the players’ fault that signing pre-contract deals, particularly when it's with one of the Old Firm sides, often proves detrimental to immediate career prospects.

So it’s understandable if Rangers’ wish to tell all and sundry about Lyall Cameron’s decision to join the Ibrox club on the expiry – and this is the important detail – of his Dundee contract this summer was met with initial stiff resistance from the Dens Park club, as I understand was the case.

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Why should Dundee want their player placed in an invidious position simply to satisfy a rival club's desire to appease their own fans? Of course, Rangers held the trump card in this case. They could, essentially, do what they liked - to hang with what it might mean for Cameron in the short term and how uncomfortable things might get between him and his current employers. Or, more accurately, between him and the supporters of his current employers.

Lyall Cameron will swap Dundee for Rangers next summer.Lyall Cameron will swap Dundee for Rangers next summer.
Lyall Cameron will swap Dundee for Rangers next summer. | SNS Group

Things will be amplified yet further on 29 March, when Dundee are scheduled to face Rangers at Dens Park. Cameron did not play the last time the teams met last month after going down with flu. How Dundee utilise the talented midfielder in the coming weeks will be interesting. Manager Tony Docherty has stressed he is “delighted” for the 22-year-old, who he noted had made 17 “goal contributions” in 30 league games already this season.

He fully intends to keep him as the fulcrum of the team and added that he had no qualms about playing him, starting on Wednesday in a rearranged fixture against Celtic. Dundee - now tenth following Saturday's 6-0 drubbing against Hearts - are not in a position to bench or exclude Cameron, as some supporters are demanding. “Tell him to go now, if he doesn’t want to play for the Dee, he’s no use to us,” was the gist of many of the replies on social media, although will Jordan McGhee, reported to have signed a pre-contract deal with Motherwell, get the same treatment? Is it the club that's the problem?

It’s an unfortunate situation and no way for a young man’s career to end at the place where he was given – and has taken – the chance to make his name. But then football is a cut-throat business. Were Rangers meant to sit around twiddling their thumbs as Cameron played out the final months of his Dundee contract while their fans bristled at the club’s lack of transfer activity? No, they wanted the news out there.

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At precisely 3pm on transfer window deadline day they got it out there, having informed Dundee of their intention. The Dens Park club had little choice but to respond with a simultaneous announcement of their own, confirming the player “had taken the decision” to sign a pre-contract agreement with Rangers.

As for the player himself? What was he to do? Say nothing and give a poor early impression that he wasn't fussed about joining Rangers? Or "do a Jordan Jones" and say slightly too much - adding a "WATP" at the end for good measure, as the Kilmarnock winger rather ill-advisedly did after penning a pre-contract deal with the Ibrox club in January 2019.

Intelligence on a football pitch does not always translate into intelligence off it. In the case of Cameron, who started studying for a maths and economics degree with the Open University when he feared football was not going to work out for him, it most certainly does, most of the time. He might now accept it was injudicious to be quite so open when admitting “you wish to get a move to a team like this” following a League Cup clash at Ibrox in September. He quietly posted the Rangers announcement on his Instagram page on Monday. No emojis, no love hearts. Definitely no WATPs.

The Ibrox club’s business still hasn’t been given a wholehearted thumbs up from supporters but the tying up of one of Scottish football’s hottest young talents is a lot better than nothing. Indeed, many of these fans, impressed by Cameron’s performances against them as well as other teams, have advocated getting him on board for a long time. It speaks to a new outlook at Ibrox, one which ought to be applauded.

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Lyall Cameron has been one of Dundee's main performers this term.Lyall Cameron has been one of Dundee's main performers this term.
Lyall Cameron has been one of Dundee's main performers this term. | SNS Group

Critics can’t have it both ways when slamming Rangers for not playing enough Scots and then complaining that they’re making things even less competitive by hoovering up young talent. Cameron’s story is certainly inspiring and identifies someone with the determination to reach the very top. Originally part of the Dundee United academy, he quit the club because they were playing him out of position and later joined Dundee, where he flourished under coach Steve Murray initially.

He made his league bow as a raw 17-year-old on a freezing Friday night at East End Park shortly before the Covid shutdown. It was an inauspicious full debut to say the least. Many queried then manager James McPake’s decision to throw the young midfielder into such a high-octane fixture that was being shown live on television. Both sides were hovering around the play-off area and required impetus.

Dunfermline gained it, with a 2-0 win. Cameron was withdrawn at half time. He has since admitted the occasion overwhelmed him slightly while McPake accused senior players of letting the youngster down.

"I can remember to this day telling the players at half-time that he didn't deserve to be a part of this performance," recalls McPake, speaking to The Scotsman. "I took him off to protect him but he was ready to play."

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His next competitive outing was in the League Cup against Dundee United - for Peterhead, where he was sent on loan. It didn't always work out for him there. Indeed, last season, after being nominated for the Premiership's young player of the year award, he recalled being “in limbo” – he wasn’t being played by Peterhead and he wasn’t sure if Dundee wanted him back.

McPake, one of his mentors, had been sacked with the Dens Park side on the way to relegation. Dundee turned to the kids and Cameron took his chance, becoming the first player in the club’s history to pick up all three player of the year awards – young player, supporters’ player and players’ player – as the team secured the Championship title under Gary Bowyer.

Cameron made his 100th appearance earlier this season, scoring twice in a 4-1 win over Motherwell. McPake sent a text message congratulating him. “You won’t get to 150 mate – Celtic or Rangers in the summer, or Birmingham City.”

James McPake managed Lyall Cameron during his time as Dundee manager.James McPake managed Lyall Cameron during his time as Dundee manager.
James McPake managed Lyall Cameron during his time as Dundee manager. | SNS Group

McPake received a call from the English club, where Callum Carsley, son of former interim England manager Lee, is assistant technical director. McPake played with his father at Coventry and Chris phoned to glean more about Cameron last year.

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McPake gushed about his former charge, describing him as being “one of the best players I have ever played with – and he will keep getting better and better”. Although his elder by 18 years, McPake did indeed play with Cameron.

He sends a clip of a bounce game against Albion Rovers, the last game of an unsuccessful comeback attempt following a serious knee injury. A thumping clearing header from McPake is picked up by a slight figure with a mop of blond hair in midfield. “Go yerself wee man!” someone shouts. Cameron, just 14 at the time, has continued doing just that.

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