Charlie Nicholas slams Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor for ‘pathetic’ antics v Partick Thistle
Charlie Nicholas was far from impressed with Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor after the veteran goalkeeper pretended to stop Scott Tiffoney from scoring at Ibrox.
The Sky Sports pundit has labelled his antics as “pathetic” after he appeared to have challenged Tiffoney although Michael Beale instructed Partick Thistle to score during their Scottish Cup game at Ibrox on Sunday (12 February) that ended 3-2.
The Gers boss allowed Thistle to score unchallenged after Malik Tillman scored a controversial goal just before that.
Jags defender Kevin Holt was planning to give the ball back to the Bears after a pause in play but Tillman knicked the ball off him to score that sparked a furious reaction from the visitors.
Beale then ordered his players to allow Thistle to equalize without a challenge but McGregor made a half-hearted attempt to stop Tiffoney from scoring but he eventually allowed him to score. Nicholas wasn’t impressed with this antic but many have found it very funny.
“What was Rangers keeper Allan McGregor looking to achieve by half-heartedly trying to stop Scott Tiffoney from scoring on Sunday?,” said Nicholas to Scottish Daily Express, as relayed by Football Scotland.
“Ibrox manager Michael Beale had already told his players to step aside and let Partick Thistle equalise after the mix-up with Malik Tillman’s goal.
“Tiffoney ran unopposed up the pitch until he got to McGregor, who decided to make life as difficult as he could for the striker to net past him. Why did he have to go through the whole rigmarole? Some people might have found it funny but I thought it was pretty pathetic from McGregor.
“Credit has to go to Beale for letting Thistle score their goal (mostly) uncontested. He quickly accepted the misunderstanding with Tillman, who had been stricken on the deck when his teammates kicked the ball out of play for him.
“It was a great gesture from Rangers but some of the gloss was taken off by McGregor’s antics. It was also very harsh for Partick boss Ian McCall and his backroom staff to lose their jobs after the game.”
Over the top
This is an over-the-top reaction really from Nicholas. McGregor knows very well what was instructed by the manager, and he was never going to disobey that.
If you observe carefully, you’ll see that the veteran goalkeeper didn’t make any serious attempt to get the ball, rather he was just teasing a bit. It was just a funny incident as he allowed the player to score.
It was a wonderful gesture from Rangers considering that it allowed Thistle to come back into the game, and make it 2-2.
In the end, James Sands scored the winner for the home side to seal their progress to the next round. It was a brilliant thrilling game, although VAR and other controversial decisions have dominated the headlines.
The cup games are known for producing shocks and upsets, and Rangers could have been knocked out as well. However, they managed to pull off a win as Beale maintains his unbeaten run since taking charge of the club.
In other Rangers news, the Ibrox bank is set for a cash boost after a document emerged on Wednesday.