‘Should have hung up the gloves’ – Charlie Nicholas blasts Rangers ace Allan McGregor
Charlie Nicholas has blasted Rangers ‘keeper Allan McGregor for his recent form and claimed that he ‘should have hung up the gloves’ last year, speaking to the Express.
McGregor has struggled with his form since the turn of the year as the team earned just three wins in the league and saw a six-point lead at the top of the table turn into a three-point deficit behind Celtic.
Now Nicholas has blasted the 40-year-old goalkeeper, claiming he should have retired last year instead of renewing his contract again, saying he should have bowed out on top.
“The end of the road comes for all players and McGregor should have hung up his gloves at the end of last season,” he said. “He made the wrong call.
“Steven Gerrard failed to address the situation in the summer and his successor Van Bronckhorst has had to roll with it. Connor Goldson and Borna Barisic have looked vulnerable at the back, but McGregor even more so.
“The saves we are used to seeing him make are the top reaction saves. Reo Hatate’s strikes in the Old Firm derby last month were fabulous, but a year or so ago McGregor would have saved or at least got a hand to them.
“It has been a season too far and he should have bowed out when he was on top.”
Harsh
Yes McGregor has struggled in recent weeks, but he’s hardly the sole reason behind the Rangers struggles in 2022.
He’s pulled off some excellent saves during this run and yes, mistakes have happened, but they’re not the only reason considering Rangers have had 60 shots in their last three games and scored just three goals.
The club should definitely be looking forward towards a change between the sticks, because he’s not going to get better between now and the then, but there wasn’t a huge need for him to go last year.
The decline is noticeable sure, so this summer a goalkeeper is likely to be brought in to replace him. He could stay on as the back up shot-stopper potentially, but at 40 the likelihood is he retires.
Rangers will be hopeful that if he does retire it’s as a champion, because they will need him to perform if they’re going to do it.
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