You can only applaud what he has done. But I need to challenge him I’ve got Allan’s gloves... now I want his jersey
SAYS ROBBY MCCRORIE
ROBBY McCrOrie has fond memories of being gifted a pair of gloves by his hero Allan McGregor when he was invited to train with rangers’ first team at just 14 years of age.
Now he is aiming to persuade Steven Gerrard he should have McGregor’s No 1 spot for keeps, too.
ibrox youngster McCrorie will line up for Scotland Under-21s against South Korea in Fos-surMer today knowing a win could see them through to the semifinals of the Toulon Tournament. He may even be watched by his new boss Gerrard, who is over in the south of France looking at matches.
The 20-year-old has been tipped for a bright future in the game and is desperate to follow brother ross into the rangers first team after spending last season on loan at Berwick rangers.
But he has the unenviable task of trying to get past not only returning favourite McGregor, but Wes Foderingham and Jak Alnwick, too.
Thankfully, McCrorie has no shortage of confidence in his own ability.
‘even though the first-team keepers at rangers are older than me, i want to be just as good as them, better in fact,’ he said.
‘You’ve got Wes, Jak and Allan now. Allan’s very experienced, and Wes and Jak are both good keepers, too, so i need to learn a lot in training from them and i want to push them hard.
‘i grew up a rangers fan, so i watched Allan and his last spell at rangers was a success to say the least. i was fortunate enough to train with him when i was 14 and trained with the first team. i was there just before he left and you could see he was a top keeper at club and international level.
‘The save he made against Werder Bremen is up there with one of the best you’ll see. The penalty save he made against Celtic in 2011, you could say was the turning point that season to win the league. He’s a big-game goalkeeper. You can only applaud what he’s done. But now that he’s back at rangers, i need to compete with him.
‘i trained with him a few times. i was only young and we trained on astroturf back then and my gloves were ruined. He went back to his locker and gave me his and i wore them in training. i think that sums him up. He’s level-headed but some of the saves in training he was pulling off were incredible. i’ve still got the gloves... i think he’s got plenty!
‘You could say i want his place because the only reason i am playing is because i want to be No 1. it doesn’t matter what club you’re at, you want to be playing all the time. That’s the mentality you have to have everywhere, especially at rangers because you have to be a winner there.
‘i’ve never spoken to the new manager, but it’s fair to say everyone is excited. even though he’s not had much experience as a manager, he’s got some pedigree. What he’s done before could help a lot of us and i am really looking forward to working with him.’
Brother ross has won plenty of plaudits in the rangers team this season and robby is determined to follow in his footsteps.
‘Fair play to ross. i think he’s more than deserved it,’ said the keeper. ‘He was out on loan, too, and you can see the progress since he came back from that. i want to be out there on that pitch playing alongside him. i think it would make my family really proud.
‘ross is versatile and athletic. To be honest, whatever position he’s in he would do a good job. i wouldn’t say i get nervous watching him because i know what he can do. i just want him to do well. i would thrive off that because he’s my brother.
‘He was gutted after the Old Firm game where he got sent off, but i did say to him that all you can do is learn from it. The circumstances of the game itself wasn’t great and we were not doing well anyway.
‘To be honest, even if he wasn’t sent off i don’t know if it would have made any difference because the team weren’t playing well. it was a bad day for everyone.’
McCrorie won Player of the Year at Berwick and admits he loved the experience of playing in League Two.
‘i’ve had a good season,’ he added. ‘i’ve learned a lot and i have toughened up. i wanted to go there and gain experience. i have 40-odd games under my belt and i’ve been playing against men, too.
‘in every game, the ball is on the halfway line and it will get punted into the box and you’re just ready to get smashed by a big guy. But, in fairness, i feel i can handle myself now and i don’t mind that side of the game. it’s part of my learning curve.’