There’s a difference between holding Rangers players to a standard and actively hunting for mistakes that aren’t really there. That’s where some of the chat around Jack Butland has started to drift for me. If you want to nail him for an actual howler, fine. But if we’re talking about games where he’s kept the ball out the net and bailed us out, then what are we really doing here?
Butland: blame the right moment, not every moment
In the games being used to criticise him, the basic point is pretty simple: he’s come through them with clean sheets. You can analyse a goalkeeper’s all-round play, of course you can. Starting positions, decision-making, distribution, the lot. But it becomes a bit unfair when the conclusion is already decided before you even look at what happened in the match.
Take the Killie example that gets dragged up. If the pass back is dreadfully short, then that’s where the danger starts. At that point a keeper is reacting to a teammate putting him in bother, not casually strolling into trouble for the fun of it. You can talk about what he could have done differently, but pinning it all on his starting position feels like forcing it.
And in the most recent game mentioned, the reality is we could’ve been three down before we even get to the long-ball incident if not for him making saves. That’s not “getting away with it”. That’s a goalkeeper doing his job and keeping Rangers alive in a match that could have gone the wrong way early.
Hearts mistake? Fair game. The rest? Be honest
If you want to slaughter him for the mistake against Hearts, I’m not here to pretend it didn’t happen. Rangers goalkeepers don’t get a free pass, especially when errors directly cost us. But it’s got to be consistent criticism. Call out the clear mistakes, absolutely. Don’t rewrite other matches into a narrative where he was somehow the problem even when he’s been a big reason we didn’t concede.
Aasgaard, Diomande and the double standards
On Aasgaard, I’m not even saying he was great. He wasn’t particularly good, in my view. But blaming our lack of width on the right solely on him doesn’t sit right either. Width isn’t just one player. It’s the full-back’s positioning, the winger’s movement, the timing of overlaps, and whether the midfield actually gets the ball out there quickly enough.
What really sticks, though, is the way some players get treated compared to others. If we’re dishing out criticism, then it can’t be based on who’s “new” and who’s “been here a while”. Diomande’s been at Rangers longer, cost more money, and yet still seems to get a wee bit more slack in certain conversations. If he’s a waste of a shirt on the day, then that should be said plainly, especially when he hasn’t delivered the decisive moment either.
Truth is, the standards have to apply across the board. Rangers fans can be demanding, and rightly so. Just make sure it’s the right player, at the right time, for the right reason.
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