Credit: Tung Manh Phan/Breaking Media

James Barker

Mon 27 April 2026 16:40, UK

Jack Butland was not at fault for any of Motherwell’s three goals against Rangers on Sunday, in my opinion.

The 33-year-old goalkeeper has always cut a divisive figure amongst Rangers fans since he moved to Glasgow in the summer of 2023.

A shot-stopper with clubs such as Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Leeds United respectively on his CV, the former nine-cap England international has some strong pedigree.

However, he’s also had a mistake in him over the course of his career, which has followed him to Ibrox as well.

With that being said though, Rangers’ loss to Motherwell shouldn’t see him taking the majority of any flak being directed at Gers players for their respective roles in the defeat.

Jack Butland couldn’t save any of Motherwell’s goals vs Rangers

Butland’s Motherwell display has been heavily criticised, and that can easily be done if you look at the mere fact that he conceded three goals.

However, whilst I’m not saying he covered himself in glory nor played particularly well on Sunday, what I don’t think is fair is to take the easy criticism route by simply having a pop at the man between the sticks.

Starting with Motherwell’s first goal, Lukas Fadinger is afforded far too much time to progress into the Gers half unchallenged, before laying it off and being allowed to run off the shoulder of Dujon Sterling into the box untracked.

He’s then able to set himself with a right-footed touch and still gets an uncontested shot off on his left from the left-hand side of the box, which beats Butland before nestling in the far corner.

Perhaps the Gers keeper could’ve got a leg to the effort, but Rangers defenders had numerous opportunities to stop Fadinger from even getting to the position to have a shot, but they failed to do so.

Then for the second goal, one pass from central defence splits Rangers in half and finds its way passed the midfield and onto Gers’ backline, before it’s played out to the right wing.

Tom Sparrow has all the time in the world to send in a first-time cross towards the back post, where Emmanuel Longelo is arriving with the freedom of Ibrox to dispatch a difficult bouncing ball into the roof of the Rangers net, leaving Butland with no chance.

Nasser Djiga isn’t even looking over his left shoulder to see where Longelo is, whilst perhaps even more cynically, Dujon Sterling absolutely can see where he is and what’s going on, but makes little effort to track back and get ahead of the Motherwell forward.

Finally, Motherwell’s winning goal comes from a quick throw from keeper Calum Ward which sets the visitors off on the counter-attack, eventually ending up with Longelo on the left-side of the box.

The winger is allowed to cut back onto his right foot with ease, before firing a shot towards goal that Butland looked to have completely covered if not for the head of Emmanuel Fernandez diverting the ball past him into the net.

Yet again, Rangers defenders passed up numerous chances to stop the shot from Longelo from ever happening, and then when it did arrive, Butland had his save taken away from him via a huge and unnecessary diversion.

Questions need to be asked about Rangers defenders

So for me, you can forget about asking questions about Butland around Sunday’s defeat, as it was his defenders in front of him who really let him down.

Untracked runners into the box, half-hearted attempts to track back, far too much time and space afforded to dangerous forwards and a massive deflection: that’s why Rangers conceded three goals, not Butland.

Could he have performed better? Yes. But should Rangers’ defensive unit have done a lot more to help him out? Absolutely.

If Gers’ backline plays like that against Hearts next time out, then Tynecastle will surely be the setting for where Rangers’ Scottish Premiership title hopes for 2025-26 vanish.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.