A claim has been made that Allan McGregor has been Rangers best signing over the course of the last decade.
That praise has come from a somewhat unlikely source in the form of former Celtic and West Ham striker Frank McAvennie who was speaking to Football Insider following further heroics from the veteran goalkeeper in Belgrade last week which went a long way to securing Rangers place in the last eight of the Europa League.
McAvennie paid tribute to the longevity of the 40-year old as well as the high level of his current top-form which is definitely not going unnoticed outwith Ibrox, however his comments lacked a bit of nuance that some Gers fans would also point out.
He stated, “The biggest player Rangers have bought in the last 10 years is McGregor. Again, he was outstanding the other night (against Red Star).”
“There were some pundits talking about him a few weeks ago, they were going on about these mistakes and how he should be dropped, I was sat there just thinking ‘what, seriously?’, that was just ridiculous.”
“I don’t understand the criticism because some of the saves he’s made this season have been outrageous.”
Balance
There is a strong claim that McGregor’s best form has came in Europe this season. Some of the saves have been incredible, for sure.
What McAvennie overlooks and a reality is that while the Rangers number one is still playing to a top standard and making a significant contribution, there have been times this season where his mistakes have been costly, hence some of the criticism.
That possibly comes with not watching Rangers every week, but those who have including dedicated supporters, are able to look back on what has happened as well as being very happy with the current form of the man known to his peers as ‘Greegs’.
In the home leg against Red Star there was the penalty save as well as a dropped ball that was put in the net but ruled out due to offside. Regrettably, there were bad mistakes against Hearts, Ross County and even Motherwell at home last month – that cannot be ignored.
On the flip side, he is still a man for the big occasion as shown in Belgrade last week and with the pressure on for the title run-in, few would bet against Allan McGregor having a big say in Rangers favour in that chase for silverware.