Official club partner left in awe of Jack Butland after Rangers 1-0 win v Real Betis
Heart and Hand have waxed lyrical about the role Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland played in their crucial 1-0 Europa League win over Real Betis on Thursday.
Rangers marked their return to the Europa League stage with a narrow but impressive victory over Spanish La Liga side Real Betis thanks to Abdallah Sima’s 67th-minute strike amid a frantic scramble.
However, the Gers and Michael Beale had Butland to thank for his superb saves throughout the game as Betis threatened to dampen the rampant mood at Ibrox.
Taking to Twitter, (22 September) Heart and Hand podcast could not hold back in their praise for the former Crystal Palace and Manchester United shot-stopper.
They tweeted: “Being keeper for a club like ours isn’t just about ability, you have to have a big commanding presence to be our No. 1. This man has it.”
Perfect McGregor replacement
Beale has received a lot of criticism for what was considered to be a pretty poor start to the season, and rightly so.
The football has been poor and results were certainly not good enough, but the performance the team put in at Ibrox on Thursday night will go a long way to winning fans over.
The team was resolute defensively, looked dangerous going forward and were comfortable in possession, in what seemed like a potential turning point for the side and their season even at such an early stage.
But they can certainly have Butland to thank for the result thanks to his stunning and assured showing in between the sticks at Ibrox.
There wasn’t as much optimism and excitement when Beale brought him through the doors at the club over the summer due to his injury record and lack of playing time at the top level.
However, Butland has quelled all those doubts so far this campaign proving Rangers’ most consistent and best performer providing Beale and his team with just what they need to replace goalkeeping icon Allan McGregor.
He still has some way to go before he emulates the Ibrox legend, but Butland certainly isn’t too far from reaching iconic status if he can lead the club to trophies this season. With him in goal, it’s a real possibility.
In other Rangers news, UK journalist rages at Ibrox after what he saw in win v Real Betis.