Ally McCoist wowed by one ‘brilliant’ Rangers star, he was only one to turn up vs Club Brugge
Rangers were utterly humiliated in Belgium on Wednesday.
The Light Blues lost 6-0 in their Champions League playoff match and 9-1 on aggregate.
It was always going to be a long night for Rangers when Nicolodi Tresoldi scored after five minutes and Max Aarons was sent off three minutes later.
However, there is no excuse for the Gers to fold as they did.
Russell Martin now faces being sacked by Rangers, with this result putting even more pressure on him.
Jack Butland the only player to turn up on humiliating night for Rangers
No one in a white Rangers shirt emerged from this match with any credit at all. It was a humbling experience for all of them.
However, one player who deserves a lot of credit is Jack Butland.
Rangers were 5-0 at half-time, but it could have been even more if it wasn’t for the reflexes of the English goalkeeper.
He made one save with the score still at 1-0 that could have been a contender for save of the season, as he got his fingertips on a long-range effort from Aleksandar Stankovic.
Commentating on the game, Ally McCoist made sure that Butland got his flowers
He said: “Brilliant. That’s a good effort and another top save.”
Later on, he said: “He’s been the best player on the park for Rangers and he’s lost six goals! Work that one out!”
Rangers could have been out of the running a lot sooner if it wasn’t for Butland
Rangers did incredibly well to make it to the playoff stage of the Champions League. They beat Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen to get there. By losing at this stage, they will still qualify for the group phase of the Europa League.
Rangers took huge leads in the first legs at Ibrox against Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen.
However, both of these teams threw the kitchen sink at Rangers in the second leg, and it was only thanks to a string of saves by Butland that they weren’t pegged back.
It’s strange to think that there was talk of Butland leaving Rangers earlier this summer. He had been dropped by interim manager Barry Ferguson last season, and it wasn’t clear whether Martin would fancy him as his number one.
His performance last night was absolutely the only positive to come out of Rangers’ trip to Belgium.
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