Inside Jack Butland’s Rangers talks, the contract option stumbling block and his ‘calmer’ comparison to Allan McGregor
ALLAN McGREGOR made over 500 appearances for Rangers.
He kept 216 clean sheets, won four league titles, four Scottish Cups and five League Cups.
He was also a two-time Europa League finalist.
Jack Butland is well aware he has big gloves to fill.
The two men are set to meet for the first time next week when McGregor returns to training ahead of his testimonial against Newcastle.
It will present his successor with the perfect chance to pick his brains.
Butland aims to follow in the footsteps of Ibrox goalie greats Andy Goram, Stefan Klos and Greegsy.
The new Gers No 1 said: “I’ve had big goalies to follow in the past, at Stoke and the like.
“Top goalies have gone before and they’ll come again. That’s the beauty of the position. We are all different and we can all make it our own.
“There’s no denying the impact some of those guys have had on the club, it’s something that I have paid attention to.
“I think we’ll get to see Allan and hopefully get to train with him for a couple of days before the Newcastle game. That will be really nice and an opportunity to pick his brains a little bit.
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“I just want to hear about his experiences and what the club means to him and how that can help me.
“We’re different goalkeepers and I’m just looking forward to getting the gloves on and trying to emulate some of the things that they have achieved.
“There is value, 100 per cent, in talking to Allan.
“It’s a unique city, the way that it operates and he knows it better than anybody.
“So there’s no better person for me to talk to than him about his experiences at the club.
“He’ll know how to deal with that and how to deal with the Old Firms.
“It’s about getting insight into all of that and how he went about it.
“It can only be beneficial for me and I’m looking forward to it.”
Asked if he was calmer on the park than McGregor, Butland smiled: “I don’t know. Maybe, within reason. We are different.
“I like to be as collected as possible. But I am vocal, I think that is important.
“I like to be vocal in the changing room, not overly so, just when things are required. I have always felt I have been a big voice in clubs I have been at.
“But calmer? Maybe. I’m not sure.”
Butland is one of five new signings this summer — with Cyriel Dessers set to become the sixth. More arrivals are set to follow as manager
Michael Beale continues his rebuild ahead of his first full season in charge.
It’s a massive campaign for him and Rangers as they bid to wrestle the title back from Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic.
At 30, goalie Butland will have a huge part to play in ensuring the new players gel as Gers seek to hit the ground running.
But he added: “I am not going to be any different to what I have been.
“I think that’s key for the manager who spoke to us when we came in.
“The new lads were all staying at the same hotel.
“And the day before we started we all had dinner together with the coaching staff. The boss reiterated to us all that he didn’t need us to be anything more than what we are.
“His message was, ‘You are here for a reason. You are here because we like you. Be yourselves.’ So I’ll be myself.
“If you get outside of that window you start to lose focus of what’s important.
“We have the right balance, leaders who are quieter and leaders who are louder and lead in different ways. It is important for everyone to be themselves.”
Butland was linked with a move to Rangers last summer, before it finally happened last month.
After falling out of favour at Crystal Palace, then warming the bench at Old Trafford, the former Manchester United man admits that it’s now great to feel wanted again.
Butland said: “I met the manager a few months prior. He came down to Manchester to see me and that was really good too.
“It gave me some insight into the club, as much as you can give in a meeting room I suppose.
“But he explained his ideas and he outlined his plans.
“I didn’t need to do a lot of research so it made the decision really easy for me. Listen, it’s a great feeling to be wanted.
“It was huge for me. I hadn’t felt that, to that point, for a while.
“I’ve been working hard to get back to that point because it doesn’t just come around. I know the guys here did their research too in talking to guys at Palace and United.
“They wanted to see where I was at and all of it led to where we are now.
“I’m really excited about the challenge. It wasn’t that close before.
“There was also something contractually that I wasn’t free enough to make something happen.
“I was set up at Palace. Coming to the end of my contract there was a potential option, but that didn’t come about.
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“I went out on loan and it made it a lot simpler for this to happen now.”
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