Glasgow Rangers struggled to a 1-0 Premiership victory over Motherwell yesterday, with a chorus of boos ringing out at Ibrox once the final whistle blew.

Michael Beale isn’t the most popular person at the club right now, and the Gers are struggling to find their identity on the field.

With nine new signings arriving in Glasgow this summer, many felt it was a much-needed overhaul, yet Beale has struggled to get a tune out of the majority of his new players.

Jack Butland is perhaps the only shining light with regard to the incomings as he has made the number one spot his own.

How has Jack Butland performed for Rangers this season?

Allan McGregor finally retired at 41 following the expiration of his contract and new blood was required between the sticks.

Butland arrived with an impressive reputation, albeit he had endured a few tough seasons at Crystal Palace, making just 17 appearances since the start of the 2020/21 campaign and a move to Rangers represented a fresh opportunity.

Across six Premiership games, the keeper has conceded just 0.3 goals per game while making 2.2 saves per game – an 87% success rate – and keeping four clean sheets, allowing only two goals.

It was an area that needed to be strengthened over the summer, and Beale has done wonders with Butland, but there is another player who has recently been revived – John Lundstram.

Is John Lundstram back to his best?

The Englishman joined the Light Blues in the summer of 2021, when Steven Gerrard was in charge, and it appeared to be a wise move, since the midfielder had made 62 Premier League games for Sheffield United in the two seasons before moving to Glasgow.

He had a difficult start to life at Ibrox, but after Christmas in his first season, Lundstram really started to take on and came to life during the magnificent European run in 2022.

He scored twice, against Borussia Dortmund and the goal that advanced the club to the final against RB Leipzig, while completing 54% of his dribbling attempts and making 1.6 tackles per game.

During that European journey, he was even hailed as a “cult hero” by former Gers great Ally McCoist, and the £22k-per-week jewel was looking like an amazing signing.

Lundstram has been one of Beale’s few bright spots this season, starting four league games and averaging a Sofascore match rating of 7.12.

He is sixth on the team in tackles (1.6) and interceptions (1.4) per game, and fourth in long balls per game (3.8), and his presence in the middle of the midfield has been a rare bright spark among a sea of darkness this season.

His contract expires next summer, and Lundstram will be hoping that these improved performances send a message to Beale that he wants to stay at Ibrox for the long haul and maintain his starting spot in the coming months.

With these present performances, a long-term stay in Glasgow is undoubtedly in the cards, as it will hopefully be for Butland as well.