Butland plans to join long line of serial winners in goal at Ibrox
Englishman says one trophy is not enough to match greats of the past
EVERY player who signs for Rangers has their work cut out matching the standards set by their predecessors in their position regardless of whether they are a defender, a midfielder, a winger or a striker. The Ibrox faithful have seen some exceptional footballers don a light blue jersey over the years and are not easily impressed.
Yet, the demands on the Govan club’s goalkeepers are perhaps, given the heroics between the sticks of the likes of Chris Woods, Andy Goram, Stefan Klos and Allan McGregor in modern times, greatest of all.
Jack Butland has, it is fair to say, not had any difficulties emulating the feats of those who have worn the No.1 shirt in the past and endearing himself to supporters during the past nine months.
The summer signing was a deserved winner of the Rangers Player of the Year award on Sunday and has a very good chance of scooping the PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year gong this weekend.
Butland, though, does not believe that he can be bracketed alongside the likes of Woods, Goram, Klos and
McGregor until he has helped the Glasgow giants to lift multiple pieces of silverware, including the cinch Premiership trophy.
The former England internationalist remains determined to help Philippe Clement’s side, who are three points off first place in the topflight table with four games remaining, to land the Scottish title and then beat their city rivals Celtic in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden next month.
“You can’t really talk about Rangers without talking about trophies, without talking about success, without talking about goalkeepers,” he said.
“That is the way it has been here. There is an incredible history of goalkeepers, goalkeepers the fans have loved like family who have their own nicknames. It is all part of the history of this club, great goalkeepers.
“Some people might see that as pressure, I saw this whole thing as an opportunity to play and just show people what I believe I can do. I guess it puts you in that conversation if you do do that.
“But what those guys who have gone before have all done is won, they have been serial winners, they have continually done so. I have one to my name, that is not enough.
“You get a taste for it and you want more and that is what this club wants, it demands more. To be mentioned, as some people have done, is an honour, but you have got to back that up with trophies and hopefully we can do that.”
Butland helped Rangers to beat Aberdeen 1-0 in the Viaplay Cup final at Hampden back in December and win that competition for the first time in 12 long years.
The 31-year-old revelled in the experience and confessed that he has no idea what the reaction will be among their tens of thousands of supporters if there are more additions to their trophy cabinet in the coming weeks.
“That was some good fun that we had,” he said. “It was an incredible day, an incredible few days after. We didn’t get long to enjoy it, such is the nature of this league and the demands on you. But it was an incredible day and it really was a taste of it.
“It is sort of scary in a way. I can only imagine what it would be like if we could go another one or two steps further with what is to come. But that is something that we can dream of and work really hard to try and accomplish.”
Butland, who was watched by England manager Gareth Southgate during the Old Firm game at Ibrox last month and is hopeful of getting a call-up for the Euro 2024 finals in Germany this summer, spent last season on loan at Manchester United.
He has, though, no regrets about leaving Crystal Palace and joining Rangers and is optimistic he can cap a memorable campaign in both the Premiership and Scottish Cup.
“It’s been a rather enjoyable season,” he said. “It’s had its ups and downs, but on the whole it’s been really enjoyable for me personally.
“As a team, we’ve grown an awful lot, we’ve been through an awful lot and on the whole we’re in a place where we can compete for everything still. It’s been a really positive season and hopefully that continues.
“I have a million per cent relished it. Last year at United was a good test for me to go and test myself against players like that, with staff like that, with the size of the club that it was.
“How I trained there, how I performed there and how good I felt in myself meant it was something I knew I was capable of doing. It was about an opportunity really. And when Rangers came up, it was an easy decision to make.
“I sort of made that decision before the season ended last year, that this was something I wanted to come and get stuck into. So for me it was a no-brainer. With the support that I immediately got and what’s followed since, it’s just continually grown and become more and more the right decision.”
You get a taste for it and you want more and that is what this club wants, it demands more
The nine-times capped 31-year-old was encouraged by Southgate’s presence at the last Glasgow derby match. But he is more concerned with Rangers than with England and his full concentration is on domestic matters at the moment.
“I didn’t even know he was coming,” he said. “It was a really positive thing that he came. He made the decision to come. He’s not been up here a lot but that says a lot. Hopefully he comes up a lot more, especially for games like that. They are incredible games to watch and to be a part of. I’m sure he’ll be back up again to have a look, we’ll see.
“But I can only focus on what I’m doing. I’m enjoying every challenge that comes and just relishing that. Anything that comes with that England wise, is a bonus. It was something I’ve always loved being a part of and want to be a part of.”