I’M NOT HERE TO BE BACK UP
McLaughlin aims to rise to the challenge set by Gerrard and battle McGregor for those Ibrox gloves
Greegsy has earned that shirt and has been fantastic but the manager wants me to compete
AHEAD of a season of monumental significance for Rangers, the individual challenges facing some in their squad are no less testing.
Take the position of Jon McLaughlin. Recently recruited following the end of his contract with Sunderland, the 32-year-old goalkeeper will have to try to wrestle minutes on the pitch away from Allan McGregor if he is to make an impact at Ibrox.
A call to Wes Foderingham could underline how problematic that can be. The capable Englishman played the role of back-up last term and made a mere two Premiership appearances — one when McGregor was suspended, the other when the veteran was injured. Otherwise, Foderingham was on the outside looking in whenever games of significance arrived.
Some might expect McLaughlin to fulfil a similar role but Steven Gerrard is looking for the Edinburgh-born player to do far more than occupy a spot on the bench.
Genuine competition for the first-choice status has been deemed essential.
Put bluntly, the Ibrox manager stressed there will be no room for passengers as Rangers begin their drive to try to stop Celtic from winning ten in a row. And that was exactly what McLaughlin wanted to hear.
‘When I had initial meetings with the gaffer he made it clear he wants to have serious competition in every area of the pitch,’ said McLaughlin, capped twice by Scotland.
‘If you are going to compete and if you’re going to be the best, all clubs have that. They don’t just have people filling a seat on the bench or taking up a space in the squad.
‘They don’t have people just along for the ride. You can’t have that, you can’t carry those people any more if you want to be competitive at a serious level.
‘The manager wants me to come and compete for the shirt. But I understand how it works because Greegsy has earned that shirt, he’s been fantastic.
‘I just need to come and make sure the manager sees me as someone who is ready to contribute when asked to.
‘But I understand what I am coming into and the task ahead. I understand the challenge and it would be incredible to make that work. It’s an exciting journey to be part of.’
McLaughlin’s background contributes to his focused and level-headed approach. Anything he has achieved has been done the hard way over the course of a career that started in non-league football with Harrogate Town.
Moving across Yorkshire to Bradford City provided him with a break, but McLaughlin still had to fight for recognition into his early 20s. A decade or so on, he will do so again in a very different environment.
‘I’m always someone who has been playing more regularly since moving into the senior part of my career, but I’ve never had the attitude that it was my right, that I was just going to play or I was the No1,’ he argued.
‘It was always a case of constantly having to keep your levels at the very highest standard to make sure you continue to earn that place.
‘I’ve had a little bit of that experience with the national team, going away in more of a supportive role to Greegsy, to (Craig) Gordon, to Marshy (David Marshall).
‘One of the things I’m looking forward to massively is getting out and training every day with Greegsy and matching that level of goalkeeper. Hopefully, that will make me a better goalkeeper in time.’
The pressure on every Rangers player to perform will be acute. Gerrard’s side must find a way to summon up consistency over an entire Premiership campaign if they are to halt Celtic’s bid to complete a decade of dominance.
‘Of course that’s always going to be in the forefront of everyone’s minds,’ said McLaughlin, when asked about the magnitude of the season ahead. ‘No one’s going to let you forget that.
‘There is a genuine belief among the players that it is possible, which is good to see. I think that in the last couple of seasons, the progress that’s been made, the closing of the gap and the way that last season finished and was cut short, there was definitely still a point to prove there.
‘That’s part of the excitement of coming here, joining this club and wanting to be part of something that could be fantastic to turn that tide.’
McLaughlin spent a season with Hearts before two years with Sunderland in England’s League One. The scrutiny applied on Wearside, where Netflix followed every move at the club in his first season, could be considered a primer for life as part of the Old Firm.
The obvious hope is for a happier outcome at Ibrox. Despite Sunderland’s Premier League potential, and plentiful plaudits for McLaughlin’s performances, the Black Cats remain stuck in the third tier.
‘There are some similarities in the day-to-day set-up with the training ground and stadium being state of the art,’ he said.
‘Also in that it’s a true football city. People on the streets will want to stop you and talk about the team and what’s going on.
‘It certainly gives you a taste of what it’s going to be like up there in terms of being under that microscope a little bit and having to really buy into what you are representing.
‘You know the club has a huge following and that everyone wants the best for you, but will certainly let you know if you are not giving the best. I’m under no
illusions about the step up in terms of how much of a rivalry there is in the city and how much expectation there is from the fans.’
McLaughlin ultimately hopes to advance his Scotland claims through involvement at Rangers. Last capped in the 6-0 win over San Marino last year, he would love to figure in Steve Clarke’s thoughts for the forthcoming Euro 2020 play-offs.
‘This was in our thoughts when deciding to make this move,’ he admitted.
‘It hopefully shows my intentions are clear. I want to come and I want to be a valuable member of the squad and contribute regularly.
‘All of that will hopefully strengthen my cause with the national team moving forward. It’s a real privilege to be part of that.
‘We have play-off games coming up and I definitely want to be involved in the national set-up.’