AliousReflecting on his time at Rangers, Steven Naismith remembers the excitement that once swirled around a promising young striker, widely regarded in Scottish football circles as a future star.
This forward had joined his childhood club with high hopes pinned on him, envisioned as a potential successor to Ally McCoist, poised to spearhead the attack for a new era. Yet, just four years later, after only two fleeting first-team outings and no goals to his name, Rory Loy slipped quietly out of Rangers—an example of unfulfilled potential that serves as a warning to young Scottish talents courted by the country’s biggest clubs.
Consider Lennon Miller, the teenage sensation at Motherwell. Despite interest from both Celtic and Rangers, the 18-year-old has stayed put at Fir Park. His reward? Nearly 70 senior appearances, the captain’s armband at Motherwell, and a debut call-up to the Scottish national team—a testament to the value of staying loyal and honing his craft outside the intense scrutiny of Glasgow’s football scene.
Rory Loy, now 37 and a retired player turned pundit, looks back with regret to the summer of 2006 when he left Kilmarnock for Rangers. A close friend of Lennon Miller’s father, Loy envies the guidance Miller has received—something he lacked. Without a family steeped in football, Loy was swayed by his agent’s urging to chase the Ibrox dream, a choice he now questions.
He recalls a meeting with Kilmarnock boss Jim Jefferies, where, at just 18, he was too easily persuaded to leave. Former Kilmarnock assistant Billy Brown, quoted in the Daily Record 19 years ago, described the club’s frustration as an understatement, noting Loy could have broken into their first team far sooner than at Rangers.
Instead, Loy’s Rangers career amounted to little more than two substitute appearances against Inverness and Motherwell across five years.
Loy contrasts his path with that of Scott Arfield, who racked up 100 appearances for Falkirk before moving to Huddersfield Town and later returning to Falkirk.
Loy wonders what might have been had he stayed at Kilmarnock or a similar club, building a foundation of experience by his early 20s.
At Rangers, he felt reduced to a mere number—59, to be exact—lost among a crowded reserve squad where promises of opportunity were handed out freely but rarely kept.
He admits he lacked the mental resilience to navigate that environment and sees himself as one of many young players caught in a flawed system.
Though he never reached Arfield’s heights, Loy found his stride later at Falkirk, where he enjoyed his most productive years. Now, he supports Barry Ferguson—his former Rangers captain—as the man to revive the club. Loy’s story remains a poignant reminder of the perils and pressures facing Scotland’s brightest prospects.
Alious
