At least he knows where the ball is
25-year-old Rigters made six appearances for Blackburn in all competitions for the first team and is now officially a free agent, though the Lancashire club still hold his registration so Southend had to gain permission for him to play to-night.
Tilly is probably hoping there's a touch of the Theo's about him, especially on the day the club announces another Freedman injury.
Rigters won the 2007 European under-21 championships Golden Boot, (where he would have been, er, 23), and you can see here the late equaliser that he grabbed against England in the semi-final of that competition: www.youtube.com/watch?v=750nKMaTqmg
Blackburn saw enough to bring him to England but he was loaned out to Norwich City, ironic as he'll play against their greatest rivals to try and get a permanent deal, and Barnsley, where he wasn't a great hit with the fans, probably because he didn't score in 19 Championship games for them!
The Rigters Files
Full name | Maceo Rigters | |
| Date of birth | January 22, 1984 (1984-01-22) | |
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.79 m) | |
| Playing position | Forward | |
| Club information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Current club | Free Agent | |
| Number | -- | |
| Youth career | ||
| ?-2003 | Ajax | |
| Senior career1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2007 2007- 2008 2008-2009 | Heerenveen Dordrecht NAC Breda Blackburn Rovers → Norwich City (loan) → Barnsley (loan) | 2 (0) 17 (8) 61 (5) 2 (0) 2 (0) 19 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2005-2007 | Netherlands U21 | 9 (6) |
| ||