Rangers FC via PA Images A corner flag at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow.
Jack Butland ‘exempt’ as Rangers crisis worsens v Aberdeen – Sky Sports pundit
Jack Butland is “exempt” from any criticism after his excellent start to life at Rangers, according to Kenny Miller.
Writing for the Daily Record (1 October), the Sky Sports pundit was critical of Rangers’ other new additions who are yet to reach the standard expected of them but pointed to the goalkeeper as the outlier of the group.
Miller said that the poor recruitment is the responsibility of Michael Beale, with the likes of Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers earning a reputation as serial underperformers.
“I understand that managers live and die by their recruitment,” Miller stated. And it hasn’t been fantastic at Rangers since winning title No.55. It is ultimately up to the manager. When Ross Wilson departed the club, Beale took over as manager and stated that he would sign his own players.
“He looked them in the eyes to see whether they were good enough. Jack Butland is free from criticism because he has performed admirably. But what about the rest? They simply haven’t lived up to the standards required to represent this club.”
Outlier
Only Butland can hold his head high among the eight permanent additions made at Ibrox this summer. The verdict on the other seven players is still out, but the shot-stopper must be upset that his consistent good performances can only go so far.
Butland was a no-brainer signing on paper. Replacing the experienced Allan McGregor was no simple feat, but signing Butland as a free agent, a Premier League veteran and international goalkeeper, proved to be the best business of the summer.
With only five goals conceded and the league’s second-highest save percentage (76.2%) this season, the Ibrox faithful would shudder to contemplate where their club would be in the table without him [FBRef]. These numbers become even more astounding after having played every available minute this season.
As Miller points out, the main issue for Rangers this season is the team’s lack of an attacking threat. Against Aberdeen, for example, the attacking alternatives had numerous good chances to put their team ahead, but they all fell short. Butland has little control over what occurs on the other end of the field, and he only has so much control over the vulnerable defense in front of him.
Beale will thank his lucky stars that his recruitment of Butland was successful, as he could have left the club without his goalie.
