As Dylan Levitt took aim, the ball bouncing kindly on the edge of the Rangers penalty area, the home fans were already wincing in painful anticipation.
Jack Butland, increasingly maligned and staggeringly error-prone in recent months, had committed some pretty brutal blunders in early-2025. This, however, was maybe the worst of the lot.
Levitt’s fizzing strike should have brought about a simple resolution from an experienced glovesman who, just last year, looked like the man worthy of inheriting Allan McGregor’s gloves in a Rangers shirt.
But as the ball squirmed under the former England international’s body – Barry Ferguson took aim at another ‘bad mistake’ from Butland in a ferocious post-match press conference – one wonders how much further Rangers’ patience will stretch.
The clamour for Butland’s removal and Liam Kelly’s introduction is growing by the week. Understandably so.
“I thought we started on the front foot before Hibs got the first goal. Another mistake from us [Butland gifting Levitt the opener after just eight minutes],” Ferguson fumed. “I said at half-time I need to see more, I want to see more aggression in our play and I never saw it. That’s the thing I’m raging with.
“I get where you’re coming from with Jack. Listen, as I said, when I come up here, I’m open and honest. And I’ve said to Jack, it’s a bad mistake. He understands that.”
Jack Butland flops but Rangers dodge Robby McCrorie embarrassment
It was, in a sense, a weekend dominated by goalkeepers.
As St Johnstone extended Celtic’s wait for another Premiership title, Andy Fisher kept Brendan Rodgers’ usually ruthless Hoops outfit off the scoresheet with the sort of performance Rangers used to see from Butland not so long ago.
Over in Ayrshire, meanwhile, Derek McInnes’ decision to re-introduce Kieran O’Hara to the Kilmarnock starting XI paid dividends. Killie kept a clean sheet for the first time since early February as Motherwell drew a blank at Rugby Park.
And the man O’Hara replaced, meanwhile, has a lot of work to do re-gaining McInnes’ trust.
Back in the spring of 2023, after Rangers hammered a much-changed Celtic side 3-0 at Ibrox, Barry Ferguson spoke out in support of Robby McCrorie and his case to become the club’s long-term number one.
McCrorie, The Gers’ now-interim boss said at the time, had the quality to become a ‘top goalkeeper’ at Ibrox following the retirement of the legendary McGregor.
The subsequent arrival of Butland on a free transfer a few months later put pay to that. Though, as McCrorie now pays the price for some very underwhelming performances between the sticks at Kilmarnock, McInnes obviously felt he had nowhere else to turn on the back of last week’s 5-1 battering at the hands of St Mirren.
Kris Boyd shines a light on McCrorie struggles at Kilmarnock
While Butland toils, at least Rangers can avoid further embarrassment in the shape of a goalkeeper they let go pulling up trees at a Premiership rival.
“Robby McCrorie and Kieran O’Hara have both failed to establish themselves as the team’s number one,” former Rangers striker Kris Boyd tells the Scottish Sun. “Issues in that area led to Killie’s relegation in 2021, and it’s something McInnes will need to sort out for next season.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  CelticCeltic | 31 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 92 | 20 | 72 | 78 |
| 2 |  RangersRangers | 32 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 66 | 33 | 33 | 65 |
| 3 |  HibernianHibernian | 32 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 50 | 41 | 9 | 50 |
| 4 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 43 | 47 | -4 | 49 |
| 5 |  Dundee UtdDundee Utd | 31 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 39 | 40 | -1 | 44 |
| 6 |  Heart Of MidlothianHeart Of Midlothian | 31 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 43 | 43 | 0 | 39 |
| 7 |  St MirrenSt Mirren | 32 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 42 | 52 | -10 | 38 |
| 8 |  MotherwellMotherwell | 32 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 37 | 56 | -19 | 38 |
| 9 |  KilmarnockKilmarnock | 32 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 37 | 53 | -16 | 35 |
| 10 |  Ross CountyRoss County | 32 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 53 | -22 | 35 |
“McCrorie has talent. In some games, he has looked the part and backed up his reputation as a Scotland keeper of the future.
“But there have been injuries and some poor performances throughout the season.”
While Butland ranks eighth in the league in terms of save percentage [65 per cent], McCrorie is actually faring even worse down in tenth.
Whatever the answer is to Rangers’ goalkeeping problems, it’s clear now that the solution to Allan McGregor’s retirement was not – as Barry Ferguson suggested a few years back – to hand the gloves to Robbie McCrorie.
