Ally McCoist fears Barry Ferguson could ‘finish’ Jack Butland’s Rangers career if he is dropped for the Athletic Club clash tonight.
Butland won the 2023/24 Rangers Player of the Year award for his outstanding performances between the sticks for the Ibrox giants.
But this season, it’s been a completely different story. Butland has made a number of costly errors, particularly over the last few weeks against Dundee and Hibs.
Rangers fans want Butland dropped while former midfielder Andy Halliday said ‘serious questions’ must be asked of the ex-England stopper.
Richard Foster says it’s time for Liam Kelly given Butland’s poor form, with Kris Boyd also talking up the ex-Motherwell man on Sky Sports.
For Rangers legend McCoist, he is completely torn, because he can see both sides of the coin.
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Ally McCoist torn over Jack Butland situation at Rangers
If Butland is dropped against Athletic Club, Ally thinks his Rangers career could be over. On the flip side, starting Butland could damage the team’s hopes of Europa League progression.
Speaking to the Daily Record, McCoist believes Ferguson needs to get inside Butland’s head before making the huge decision.
He said: “It’s a tough one. It looks as though his confidence is shot to pieces at this moment in time. This is a real balancing act because if you take him out of the team, you could finish him.
“But equally, if you leave him in the team and he continues to make mistakes, not only are you damaging him, but you are also damaging the team and the results.
“This is a really, really difficult situation. Again, Barry will have to sit down and have a chat with him. He’s made a good few uncharacteristic mistakes that have cost goals, of that there is no doubt. But it’s a gamble. If you leave him out, you could finish him. I’m actually not sure you do that.
“Not being privy to sitting down and having a chat with him and seeing where he is, that would have a massive bearing on playing him or not.
“You need to see where his head is, see how he’s feeling, and then you make a decision.”
Barry Ferguson coy over Jack Butland call for Athletic Club
At his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Ferguson was quizzed on the Butland decision and was asked if he has spoken to the out-of-form goalkeeper.
The Rangers interim manager’s response was extremely guarded and was keen to give absolutely nothing away to the press.
He said: “I’m not going to say whether I’ve had a conversation with Jack or any other player, you’ll just need to find out.
“I’m not going to sit up here and tell you this is who I’m going to play and this is the formation I’m going to play, I’d be crazy to do that.
“So, look, we’ll just need to wait and see the decisions that are going to be made for tomorrow night. What I will do is I’ll make a decision based on what I think is right for us to get a positive result.
“In terms of players making mistakes and players maybe underperforming, that’s part and parcel of football, it’s tough at times.
“Look I’ve been through many stages myself and there are a few players who may not be playing at the level that they would want and that I would expect. But, in terms of changes, I’m not going to sit here and tell you what’s going to be happening.”
