BBC Sportscene pundit slams Jon McLaughlin after what he did in Rangers win v Kilmarnock
BBC Sportscene pundit Richard Foster criticised Rangers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin for his mistake leading to Kilmarnock’s sixth-minute opener in the Gers’ 3-2 win on Wednesday at Rugby Park.
An Alfredo Morelos double against one of his favourite opponents and a smart finish from Ryan Kent saw Michael Beale’s side complete yet another comeback victory to keep the pressure on Old Firm rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
However, Beale’s men were guilty of giving needless chances and goals away to their struggling opponents, and goalkeeper McLaughlin’s mishap for the Kilmarnock opener was the pick of the bunch.
Foster was less than impressed by the 35-year-old shot-stopper.
Speaking on BBC Sportscene Premiership Highlights [18 January, 38m:16s], he said: “McLaughlin is in the team because he’s better at coming for crosses, but on two occasions he’s caught in absolutely no man’s land. Gets his position all wrong, his starting position’s wrong. He doesn’t attack the ball well enough, he could’ve conceded a goal before from Ash Taylor.
“He gets himself stuck behind the defenders, it’s an in-swinging corner. He should probably be two yards off his line and then when he gets the flight of the ball, he can in front of the two defenders. He ends up running behind them and he’s got no chance of getting the ball.”
Strange
Beale has been rather spotless during his impressive spell as Rangers boss so far, but one glaring mistake that may cost him is his strange constant chopping and changing of his old goalkeeping guards in Allan McGregor and McLaughlin.
If the Gers are to challenge consistently at the top of the tree in future, Beale will need to stand firm on who his number one goalkeeper is for the entirety of the campaign.
If he keeps on rotating, it would lead to costly errors like the one McLaughlin made against Kilmarnock. Thankfully, it wasn’t too much of a costly as they picked up the victory in the end.
However, against much better and more clinical opponents, the Gers could be guilty of some costly results which could hamper their title chances in future.
It is imperative Beale sticks to his favoured GK or he may even need a refresh by signing a much younger and more capable hand, one which the club could lean on for a number of years. McGregor and McLaughlin’s time as Gers regulars are coming to a close, and fast.
In other Rangers news, here’s how Ibrox News rated the players during the 3-2 win at Rugby Park.