Michael Beale has confirmed Jon McLaughlin will not be dropped despite evidently not being up to the standard required in Rangers’ goal.
The manager claimed, despite three useless flaps and evidently being a rabbit in headlights, that the stopper facing Ross County ‘is not the issue’ and he will continue to play in Rangers’ goal, in a decision likely to infuriate Rangers supporters, most of whom couldn’t drive the guy to Glasgow Airport quick enough.
He said:
“This week we’ve had two games and a late night in midweek. I just felt Jon was the fresher goalie coming into today. He didn’t have much to do and I’ll continue to rotate them. I’m trying to get us through a tough schedule, that’s why I’m rotating. I’m assessing the keepers with a view to what I’ll do in the summer. Robby McCrorie’s injury hasn’t healed and he’s still three or four weeks away which is disappointing. It’s hard for him to show me what he can do. Jon’s always there. We all know Allan isn’t getting any younger and he’s our number one right now. But if I feel he needs a rest, Jon is always able. Have we lost any games with him? He’s not the issue. We conceded a lousy goal off a set play but we all need a shake for that.”
So that’s that. Whatever 99% of fans see, regardless of how many goals Jon McLaughlin haplessly concedes, he remains a viable option to the manager who, frankly, it seems, couldn’t care less.
The reality is Beale has explained in recent months that this team, with his style of play, will always concede goals, because the ‘margin for error is so small’. And he’s not wrong. But he’s stubbornly refusing to accept McLaughlin is falling well short of the standards needed.
We don’t deny Allan McGregor is far from the answer either – he’s aging now and he simply doesn’t have the reflexes that he did. But he’s still, even with any errors, the better option of he and McLaughlin. The reality is both are done, no good, with McLaughlin especially awful, but we don’t have anyone else fit.
And, again, Beale frankly isn’t that bothered. He’s not a manager that fussed by defence – football seems to start from midfield for him.
As long as we win, it’s fine, but it’s never going to stop us disliking McLaughlin’s morale-sapping presence in the starting line-up.