BBC Sportscene pundits all know Allan McGregor, laugh that he got away with one against Rangers vs Kilmarnock
Allan McGregor was “lucky” not to concede a penalty to Kilmarnock as Rangers won 3-1 at Ibrox, according to James McFadden on BBC Sportscene.
With the Light Blues leading 3-0 at the start of the second half the 41-year-old was part of an alarming slip in standards that saw the visitors fight back into the game, and survived appeals for a spot kick when he clumsily brought down Rory McKenzie after having spilled a shot from Jordan Jones.
McFadden, Steven Thompson, and Neil McCann laughed knowingly when the former said they all know the Gers keeper and implied he would have deliberately impeded the Killie man.
Speaking live on BBC Sportscene (4 March, 7.45pm) McFadden said: “It was a brilliant start to the second half. They were looking for a penalty here. I think Allan McGregor’s lucky, I really do.
“Because the ball is running away from him, the three of us know Allan McGregor and you know that he’s going to do whatever he can.
“I think he gives Rory McKenzie a little nudge but he got away with it.”
Fortunate
It was touch and go whether Willie Collum would point to the same spot he had in the first half for James Tavernier’s third.
Frankly, McGregor was lucky because it was a clumsy attempt at a save and a similarly slack challenge as he went for the loose ball.
He didn’t shower himself in glory when the visitors did pull one back through Jeriel Dorsett either, and given how sloppily Rangers came out for the second half it would have only have been what they deserved.
Michael Beale has plenty to ponder after a very strong first half was followed by a pretty awful second, which coming on top of the Old Firm derby loss to Celtic in the Viaplay Cup final leaves a lot of questions which supporters are now loudly asking again.
McGregor did not inspire confidence at Ibrox, but Jon McLaughlin has done even less so in the opportunities he has been given, so whether Beale will consider Robby McCrorie remains to be seen.
It is one of a number of considerations he will have to make between now and the end of the season in terms of assessing reserve options to see if they are capable of stepping into one of many spaces that departing veteran players are now sure to make in the summer.
In other Rangers news, an ex-FIFA official slammed a decision that Collum made in the 3-1 win, then made an interesting comment about Stephen Craigan.