Rangers legend Allan McGregor tells Robby McCrorie what he must do to earn first-team place under Philippe Clement
Allan McGregor has told Robby McCrorie he is going to need a bit of “luck” if he wants to earn a first-team place at Rangers.
Speaking as part of UEFA’s Access All Areas feature on Wednesday (13 December), the ex-Gers keeper drew comparisons with the 25-year-old’s situation with his own experience at Ibrox after Paul Le Guen signed Lionel Letizi to play ahead of him.
He revealed that former Light Blues goalkeeping coach Billy Thomson told him to “wait for your time” before being handed a chance when Letizi got injured, suggesting that Scotsman McCrorie may also just have to bide his time in Glasgow.
“I was in the exact same position [as McCrorie],” said McGregor. “I see that we were probably a very similar age and they brought in Paul Le Guen and signed Lionel Letizi.
“And I remember speaking to Billy Thomson about it in pre-season. I’d just been out on loan the year before, and I said, ‘I need to be able to play?’ and I got, ‘Just wait, leave it, wait for your time’.
“I mean luckily for me, Lionel [Letizi] got injured and I got a wee chance. He came back and got injured again and then that was it. So, I do think there has to be a bit of luck in it – on Robby’s point.”
Difficult
It’s going to be extremely difficult for McCrorie to really push his way into the reckoning under Philippe Clement due to the form of Jack Butland this season.
The English keeper has been nothing short of superb since arriving from Crystal Palace over the summer, having kept 13 clean sheets in 28 appearances.
The Gers academy product McCrorie has seen his chances at Ibrox limited after playing for the club just five more times since making his debut in 2021.
It’s understandable that he’s probably frustrated and he’ll be seriously thinking about making a move away from the club to ensure he isn’t regarded as a backup forever.
But for now, he’s just going to have to remain patient and continue to learn alongside Butland as there are far worse players he could be competing with for a place in the Light Blues side.
In other Rangers news, Clement has been left baffled by an SFA decision as an Ibrox fine is to be paid within days.