Jack Butland given major support as Rangers boss Barry Ferguson told he he has bigger problems to solve
Butland was at fault for Dundee's first goal at the weekend but one man reckons he's not the biggest problem facing Rangers
Barry Ferguson has been told he needs to focus on fixing flaws elsewhere before turning his attention to the stuttering Rangers keeper Jack Butland.
The Englishman was at fault again on Saturday night as his clumsy clanger helped put Dundee two up.
Ferguson’s gritty Gers recovered from the keeper’s gaffe to edge a seven-goal Tayside thriller but Butland’s performance has thrust the spotlight back on Butland.
Some among the Light Blue legions are now questioning whether he is still the right man to fill the No1 jersey, with his weekend fumble coming just four weeks after a similar mistake against Motherwell.
In between times, though, the 32-year-old’s saves were key to victories over Fenerbahce and Celtic and ex-Ibrox shot-stopper Cammy Bell insists Ferguson has bigger problems to address than the man between the sticks.
He told Record Sport: “I’ve seen some suggesting Butland should be moved on this summer but that would be a big overreaction for me. Jack isn’t making mistakes week in, week out. It’s more minor mistakes.
“Yes he got away with one at the weekend because the team won the game. But you also saw the part he played against Fenerbahce and at Celtic Park making big saves in vital matches. And I have no doubt he'll have a big part to play in how Rangers' European season pans out.
“He’s going through a tough spell at this moment. But whatever issues Rangers have, they go beyond Jack Butland.
“Barry Ferguson has himself touched on it since he's been in there — the team is a long way short of where he expects a Rangers team to be.
“Yes, they got the result on Saturday, but there were a lot of issues within the game that he needs to rectify because they've still got a lot to play for with these huge Europa League quarter-final ties against Athletic Bilbao coming up.
“If Rangers are on it on their day, they can compete at that level.
“But it's the consistency that needs addressing. It’s concerning that even within periods of a game, we don't know which Rangers team we're going to get, so there's definitely improvements needed now and next season.”
Bell remains a huge fan of former Stoke, Crystal Palace and Man United ace Butland. But he admits the ex-England cap will be disappointed with the spill that let Joe Shaugnessy score.
He said: “Saturday at Dens was similar to the Motherwell goal, it looks like a lack of concentration caused the goal. It's a shot that 99 times out of 100 he gathers easily.
“Obviously at the weekend the ball bounces away from him and eventually ends up in the back of the net.
“With it being so close to the Motherwell mistake, it's fresh in everyone's minds. But we've seen it plenty of times before that Jack has reacted well to these errors and put in big performances. So I’m sure he'll be looking to try and cut them out as quickly as possible.”
Butland was signed to replace Allan McGregor and now has the legendary keeper to lean on following his appointment as the club’s new goalkeeping coach. And Bell reckons Butland could not have asked for a better mentor than his predecessor.
He said: “Jack had an exceptional first season, especially when you consider the pressure that came with replacing Allan. We knew that that was going to be a big void to fill but Jack came in and did a tremendous job.
“There weren’t many mistakes, so we were all used to a high, high standard. But once one or two start creeping into your game, it gets highlighted more and that’s where we’re at now.
“Listen, Jack will be disappointed but I certainly still believe he's a top, top goalkeeper. He's just having a rough time of it.
“We saw Allan McGregor in his final season have a number of errors that, again, weren't his normal standards. Goalkeepers can go through periods like that. I know I did. But these mistakes he’s made recently are, for me, down to a lack of concentration.
“It’s something that he'll speak to his goalkeeping coach about. Given he's got such a good guy in Greegsy to lean on there, I'm sure he'll bounce back from it.
“They're quite similar, where you're maybe thinking of your next move before you've actually taken the ball in.
“He's an experienced goalkeeper and will know what he needs to do to correct it.
“Goalkeepers these days are looking to distribute the ball as soon as they have it in their hands, so it's finding that fine balance between making sure you're fully in control of that ball, and that you've made that save first and foremost before you're looking to throw it out.
“He'll be having that conversation with Allan to try and make sure it doesn't happen again.”