Allan McGregor’s Already Showing Why He’s Gerrard’s Rangers Number One

There were more than a few eyebrows raised when it was announced that Rangers had re-signed former number one goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

It’s true that the goalie was a hero at the club during his first stint at the club but last term was probably Wes Foderingham’s finest season as the Gers first choice shot-stopper.

In fairness, if you look past some of the glossy saves that Foderingham had produced for the Ibrox side, he never truly had the aura of a great Rangers goalkeeper about him.

The Englishman rarely stood-out in the big games, now to be fair the defences in front of him were sometimes more of a hinderance rather than a help. In those sort of situations, it’s better to have a commanding keeper who is communicating and has the ability instil confidence in those playing in front of him.

Wes just seemed to lack those key attributes in the biggest encounters.

New Gers boss Steven Gerrard clearly agreed with that assessment as he quickly sanctioned the McGregor signing and has seemingly decided that Jak Alnwick will be his standby keeper for next term.

That seems harsh on Foderingham but as is the case with football, new managers come in and make changes.

After the first three competitive games of Gerrard’s new Gers era, it’s very hard to argue with his choice of McGregor as his number one with the gloves.

Allan has yet to concede a goal in those Europa League ties.

He kept a clean-sheet in both games against Macedonian side FK Shkupi.

Last night against Croatian team Osijek, he managed to once again managed not to concede and helped Rangers win their first European away fixture since their 2008 victory in Lisbon against Sporting. Ironically, it was McGregor who was in between the sticks that night in Portugal and he also kept a clean-sheet at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

Now Rangers have improved at the back in the close season, commanding centre-back Connor Goldson looks a particularly good find. Yet in all of those games, there have still been lapses within the backline and in those circumstances Allan McGregor hasn’t been found wanting.

He knows that at Rangers as a goalkeeper could do very little in a match but then suddenly be called into action and have to perform. It’s not an easy role, it takes full concentration levels and in a way that’s possibly the biggest difference between the Scottish international and Wes Foderingham.

At thirty-six years of age, McGregor comes back to Ibrox as a veteran. He also has experience of winning trophies at Ibrox. He needs to be one of the key players in the squad that has a voice in the dressing room and can show the new signings and the younger footballers what it means to be a Gers star.

Allan is also a player that can lead by example. The goalkeeper has had a history of shining in the biggest of encounters. If he can do that in his second stint, then he’ll once again be a hero in Govan.

When the goalie re-signed for Rangers, his new boss Steven Gerrard stated:

“He is vastly experienced goalkeeper who we feel can add to the options available to us currently. He has won lots of silverware for this club, and has shone at the highest level in Europe.”

That experience can be vital as Gerrard looks to rebuild this Rangers team and have them challenging Celtic. If there’s any chance of that happening then you can bet your bottom dollar that Allan McGregor has once again had a stunning season for the blue half of Glasgow. He can be the difference maker that collects your team points and inspires those around him!

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