Rangers fans remember 'that guy' as Jack Butland breaks down walls and bad habits to get them back onside

Daily Record

4 days ago

Rangers fans remember 'that guy' as Jack Butland breaks down walls and bad habits to get them back onside
Experienced goalkeeper is loving life under Russell Martin after a summer spent soul searching following difficult moments last season
Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland saves a shot from Filip Duricic
It can be a lonely position, goalkeeper. Especially for a toiling one.
‌
Jack Butland felt that last season probably more than he's ever experienced it in a lengthy career at the top.
‌
Moments where the only thing being firmly held was the accusatory glare of tens of thousands of Rangers supporters.
‌
High profile errors against Manchester United, Motherwell, Dundee and Hibs proved costly not only to Rangers but eventually the 32-year-old too.
With the mistakes mounting and supporters losing faith interim boss Barry Ferguson took the keeper out the firing line ahead of the Europa League quarter-final double header with Athletic Bilbao.
And that's when the soul-searching really kicked in. Question marks hung over his position as number one.
Article continues below
And Butland admits that stung because he is determined to make his mark on history at Ibrox and get his hands on more silverware at the club.
The Englishman knew what was needed to drag himself out of the doldrums. He returned to work early in the summer, surrounded himself with like-minded spirits and got his head back in the game.
Butland flew to Portugal to attend a goalkeeping training camp ran by England U-20s coach Neil Cutler and also attended by Wolves and fellow former England keeper Sam Johnstone among others.
‌
When Rangers returned to Auchenhowie on June 23, he was ready to prove the doubters wrong.
And when the campaign got under way exactly a month later in Tuesday's Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos, Butland was back to his best.
Three massive saves before Findlay Curtis broke the deadlock in the 2-0 first leg victory almost single-handedly kept Rangers in the tie.
‌
It meant Butland's name was again ringing round Ibrox for all the right reasons as punters got back onside.
And he said: 'That's what I hope they remember. I certainly feel that guy. I know that they remember that guy that I was at times last year.
'There were also some times where I wasn't at the levels I needed to be. It was not for the lack of trying and not for the effort that I put in on the training pitch.
‌
'I just had a difficult moment. And when you have a difficult moment here, at a club like this, it can be compounded.
'I completely understand at times the frustration of the fans because the expectations of me are so high.
'My expectations of me are so high, which is why probably those moments felt a lot worse.
‌
'But listen, they make you stronger. Sometimes you've got to break down a few walls yourself as far as reminding yourself of things, just training hard, reinforcing things.
'I had a good training camp in the summer. I looked at a few things that I felt I'd slipped into a couple of bad habits.
'And it just gives you a little bit of something to focus on, a different thing to look at.
‌
'And some things that I've taken into this pre-season with a sort of fresh mind.
'I'm really excited about the opportunity to work with the manager and what we're trying to do here.
'Whenever there's those question marks over you - I want to define my time here, I love it here - that can hurt you.
‌
'So I suppose it was a bit of a kick up the backside. Not like I needed it. But if there was any motivation I needed, that was added extra.
'I know I can be a huge, huge part of this club's history and success. I still intend to do that.'
Panathinaikos Erik Palmer-Brown is denied by Jack Butland
‌
The man of the match performance in Russell Martin 's dugout debut could well have felt like a weight off the shoulders for Butland.
But he said: 'I didn't feel like that. I wasn't looking for a big game. It was just a case of 'let's just play the game'.
'I felt in a good place. Let's just try and make good decisions.
‌
'Despite all the things we've been trying to work on as a team, just remember that I'm a goalkeeper first and foremost and try and do that bit.
'There were some other huge blocks in there from the boys. We kept it at nil-nil for a while until Findlay got the breakthrough for us.'
With new ownership in the boardroom and the dugout, the new season has an ultra fresh feel for Rangers.
‌
Martin has wasted no time implementing his playing style on the side.
And Butland feels re-energised. He said: 'Absolutely. There's not been a season I've come in and not felt that.
'But I suppose at the minute what you feel is a new expectation, new ownership, new control, new management, a lot of fresh faces at the training ground. There's been lots of change.
‌
'Sometimes it can be really difficult. But the guys they've brought in, they have a lot of ideas, a lot of energy and it feels like we're starting to operate in a really good way.
'The message is there. You'll start to see some new patterns, some of the ways that we want to play.
'And that only comes if everybody's on it and everyone's in trust and in tandem with each other.
Article continues below
'And that's what it's about, on and off the ball, and I think we showed that in large amounts in the first leg.'