Ferguson backs Butland to ‘come back stronger’ after what happened at Rangers
Barry Ferguson has backed Jack Butland to “come back stronger” following a calamitous moment in Rangers’ 2-1 defeat to St Mirren on Thursday.
The goalkeeper put the Light Blues on the back foot after bringing Greg Kiltie down in the penalty area, allowing Oisin Smyth to fire home the opener at the SMISA Stadium on 26 December.
While Danilo put Philippe Clement’s side back on level terms, Caolan Boyd-Munce scored the winner in the third minute of added time, piling all the pressure back on the mistakes.
Speaking via the Go Radio Football Show [27 December], Ferguson said: “There were two mistakes [v St Mirren]. If you ask me, and I know Jack Butland pretty well from bumping into him at Birmingham, I know that he will be hurting.
“He’ll know it was the wrong decision but he will come back stronger for that.”
Jack Butland is still Clement’s first choice at Rangers
Nothing should change Butland being the first-choice shot-stopper at Ibrox, even after Liam Kelly impressed during his debut against Dundee.
The 31-year-old has made 86 appearances since arriving in Scotland as a free transfer in the summer of 2023, becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet quite quickly.
Players are bound to make errors and mistakes, and when the spotlight is beaming down as hard as it is at Ibrox, those moments will be emphasised by the supporters.
Especially as a goalkeeper, these mistakes are often punished with a goal or a penalty while outfield players can atone for their split-second decisions or have their teammates mop up after them.
This is not the first error that Butland has made as a goalkeeper and it likely will not be his last, but all the fans can do is get behind him and support him when the Gers take on Motherwell on Sunday 29 December.
In other Rangers news, Philippe Clement has been told that Connor Barron is not Rangers-ready after what he’s done at Ibrox.
For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.