Glasgow Rangers laboured to a rather underwhelming 1-0 victory over Motherwell in the Premiership yesterday, with a chorus of boos ringing out at Ibrox once the full-time whistle went.
Michael Beale isn’t the most popular figure at the club right now and the Gers are failing to show any sort of identity on the pitch whatsoever.
With nine new signings arriving in Glasgow this summer, many felt it was a much-needed overhaul, yet Beale has struggled to get a tune out of the majority of his new players.
Jack Butland is perhaps the only shining light with regard to the incomings as he has made the number one spot his own.
How has Jack Butland performed for Rangers this season?
Allan McGregor finally retired at 41 following the expiration of his contract and new blood was required between the sticks.
Butland arrived with an impressive reputation, albeit he had endured a few tough seasons at Crystal Palace, making just 17 appearances since the start of the 2020/21 campaign and a move to Rangers represented a fresh opportunity.
Across six games in the Premiership, the ‘keeper has conceded just 0.3 goals per game while making 2.2 saves per game – a success rate of 87% – and keeping four clean sheets from these ties, letting in just two goals.
It was an area which required strengthening in the summer and Beale has worked wonders with Butland, yet there is another player who has been reinvigorated of late – John Lundstram.
Is John Lundstram back to his best?
The Englishman joined the Light Blues in the summer of 2021 when Steven Gerrard was in charge and it looked like an astute piece of business, as the midfielder had racked up 62 Premier League appearances for Sheffield United in the two seasons prior to arriving in Glasgow.
He endured a tough start to life at the Ibrox side, yet post-Christmas during his first term, Lundstram really started to kick on and came to life during the stunning European run in 2022.
He scored twice, against Borussia Dortmund and the goal which sent the club through to the final against RB Leipzig, while succeeding with 54% of his dribble attempts and making 1.6 tackles per game.
He was even lauded as a “cult hero” by former Gers icon Ally McCoist during that European adventure and the £22k-per-week gem was looking like an impressive signing.
This season, Lundstram has been one of Beale’s few shining lights, starting four league matches and averaging a Sofascore match rating of 7.12.
He ranks sixth in the squad for tackles (1.6) and interceptions (1.4) per game while also ranking fourth for long balls per game (3.8) and his presence in the heart of the midfield has been a rare bright spark amid a sea of darkness this term.
His contract runs out next summer and Lundstram will be hoping these improved displays will send a message to Beale that he wishes to be at Ibrox for the long term and retain his place in the starting XI over the coming months.
With these current performances, a long-term stay in Glasgow is certainly on the cards – as will hopefully also be the case for Butland.
