Rangers urged to hand McGregor a new deal
KIRK BROADFOOT has rubbished suggestions that Allan McGregor should retire at the end of the season — and has urged Rangers to offer the goalkeeper a new contract.
Now 40 years old, McGregor is set to start for Ibrox boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst in today’s top-of-the-table clash against Celtic.
A key performer in last season’s title success and a star of the run that has taken the club to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, McGregor’s current deal expires in the summer. Broadfoot, who played in front of McGregor for Rangers and Scotland, believes it would be prudent for the club to keep him on for at least another season as they work out a long-term succession plan.
‘I hope Greegsy extends,’ said the Inverness defender. ‘I don’t see how Rangers can go out and replace him.
‘It’s going to cost a lot of money to find someone of that performance level and experience. Maybe it might be the case that he won’t play as many games next year or the year after but for me it’s a no-brainer.
‘He is a born winner, he knows what it’s about at Rangers. How do you replace that?’
Costly domestic errors against Hearts, Motherwell and Ross County have seen McGregor’s future called into question but Broadfoot believes he remains
comfortably the best option available to Van Bronckhorst.
‘I think people sometimes get carried away,’ said Broadfoot. ‘You just need to look at Greegsy’s record over so many years.
‘And he’s still doing it. He is just a born winner. His professionalism, the way he trains and conducts himself is the exact same.
‘Everyone is human, we are all going to make errors. It’s about how you react. So long as you’re not making the same errors three and four times.
‘If that happens, then you question if the player is learning from it, maybe then you ask the question of age. Is he too young or too old? It’s all about how you react. Look at how he has reacted to his mistakes this season. He has bounced back and turned in some really big performances — especially in Europe. I honestly think he could go on for anther two or three years.’
Broadfoot would also be tempted to extend Steven Davis’s contract at Ibrox. Injuries have seen the Northern Irishman struggle for game time recently but he reappeared for his country in last weekend’s friendly against Luxembourg.
Davis scored from the bench in a 3-1 victory before turning in another hour against Hungary in midweek.
Named player of the year by the Scottish Football Writers’ Association as recently as last May, Broadfoot believes Davis still has much to offer.
‘Steve Davis is the exact same as Greegsy — he has had a couple of injuries this year but once he gets himself going he is just like a Rolls Royce,’ he said.