Jack Butland makes ‘Incredible’ Rangers admission after Ibrox saga
Jack Butland was the standout man for Rangers on Sunday after the much-needed 3-1 victory against Hearts.
Although the Gers were victorious at Tynecastle, it was the goalkeeper who came out in glory for Rangers showing it wasn’t a completely dominant performance.
The pressure is still very much on Philippe Clement’s shoulders with the Belgian still clinging on after getting knocked out of the Scottish Cup.
Jack Butland speaks out at Rangers
Rangers have been well off the standards that are expected at Ibrox this term and sitting 13 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table highlights just how poor they’ve been.
Not only are they struggling in the league, but they also lost the Scottish League Cup final against Celtic despite a real battle at Hampden.
However, despite this making Scottish Cup action even more important, the Light Blues did not rise to the occasion and were dumped out of the competition after losing 1-0 against Scottish Championship side Queen’s Park, having also missed a penalty.
With all these factors combined, it should come as no surprise that there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of Clement throughout the season with many supporters feeling as though he is not up to the job.
With the Europa League still in Rangers’ sights though, Butland has reassured fans that all is well in the Ibrox camp.
Speaking via the Scottish Daily Mail (18 February, page 61), the goalkeeper said: “I’ve been at clubs where the intensity and demand to win every week is not quite the same and I can tell you this is much more fulfilling than that, knowing every game is a game that needs to be won.
“It’s the end of the world if you don’t, and it’s the top of it – well sometimes not even half – if you do win but that’s the standard.
“If you don’t enjoy this and you don’t enjoy being part of this challenge, then I don’t know what you’ll enjoy.
“It’s an incredible place to play – it still is – and I’m focused and the group’s focused on bringing consistent winning to this club. That’s what it deserves, the fans deserve it too.”
Rangers need to up their standards
Butland has made his share of mistakes for Rangers this season.
However, it certainly feels as though he knows what the expected levels are at Ibrox and therefore, is willing to work hard to match that.
The worry with Clement’s management as he battles the sack is that he doesn’t seem to grasp the importance of some defeats or the huge gap to Celtic, it just isn’t acceptable.
The Europa League is a hard task for the Light Blues but there is no excuse not to put everything into it now, with nothing else left to play for this season.
Furthermore, should the manager see out this season without a trophy and miles off Celtic in the league, surely it is time for the owners to question whether the club will progress in these circumstances.
While it is clear that Butland knows what is expected of him and is willing to work hard to prove he has what it takes, it is not easy for him alone to drill this mindset into everyone at Ibrox.