ALLAN McGregor may be facing the prospect of a lengthy spell on the substitutes' bench for Rangers after Walter Smith yesterday confirmed Neil Alexander will be given every opportunity to hold on to the goalkeeping position at the club.
Smith unexpectedly dropped McGregor for last Sunday's SPL victory over Motherwell at Ibrox to cast some doubt over what had previously appeared unchallenged status as Rangers' No 1 keeper for the 26-year-old.
Alexander, who successfully deputised
for McGregor at the end of last season when his fellow Scotland international was sidelined by an ankle injury, performed well against Motherwell and will retain his place for tonight's Co-operative Insurance Cup third round tie against Partick Thistle at Firhill.
McGregor was one of Rangers' most consistent players last season, producing a series of outstanding displays at home and in Europe which even prompted a debate over whether he could dislodge Craig Gordon as Scotland's first choice keeper.
Rangers rewarded him with a new five-year contract in the summer but manager Smith feels he has not rediscovered his optimum form since his return from injury.
It is also understood there may be concerns McGregor has become distracted by his lifestyle away from football which has seen him feature prominently on the front page of several tabloid newspapers over the past year or so.
What is certain is that Smith is now looking for McGregor to regain the focus and consistency which earned him so many justified plaudits last season.
He will have to do so on the training ground in the first instance as 30-year-old Alexander is given the chance to stake his claim for the job.
"It's a bigger call than with any other position," said Smith. "You can manufacture your way around other positions within the team, but I don't like changing the goalkeeper. Any time I have done it, it has not been done lightly.
"Neil Alexander has never let us down in the games he has played. Of course he will get a fair shot at it, he deserves it.
"It is a difficult situation for a goalkeeper when they are out of the team. I don't think it will affect Allan's confidence greatly. He is obviously disappointed not to be playing, but that's the kind of reaction you would expect him to have.
"He was great for us last season and he set himself a hell of a standard to keep up. If you are a manager and feel a player hasn't got to that level yet, then you have a decision to make. You have to be prepared to make that change.
"You have to take into account that he has had to overcome an injury which made him miss the last six to eight weeks of last season. He also missed the start of pre-season training and was pitched straight back into our team just before the Kaunas game. That was solely on merit, because of the way he played last season. I felt that last season Allan's form for us was such that he had earned the right to come back into the team when he was fit to do so. I just think he has still to get back to that level a little bit."
Smith will keep changes to a minimum tonight as Rangers begin their defence of a trophy won last season when McGregor saved two penalty kicks in a dramatic shoot-out against Dundee United in the final.
The absence of European commitments for the rest of this campaign means the Ibrox club will maintain complete focus on attempting to succeed in all three of the domestic tournaments. "We won't vary it much from the team that has been playing week in, week out," confirmed Smith.
"When we have no European football, we have to have a level of concentration on the domestic games we play, regardless of what division the opposition comes from."
Complacency is unlikely to be an issue for Rangers against Partick Thistle after requiring a replay to defeat the First Division outfit in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup last season.
"If anything, that's a benefit," added Smith. "They were two extremely competitive games and should be a warning as to how difficult this tie could be."
Smith confirmed that Steven Whittaker may require surgery on a knee injury which has troubled him for some time. The former Hibs full-back has not played since the opening day of the SPL season.
Sasa Papac, who is in the process of negotiating an extension to his contract with Rangers, may return after missing Sunday's game due to suspension.
The full article contains 786 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
