Jack Butland joined Rangers with dreams of making an impact at the business end of the season. Now, the hard work really begins at Ibrox.
The first weeks since Butland moved north of the border have opened his eyes even further to the size of the club and the demands of the support. It has been a case of so far so good for the keeper and he has settled into the side with some accomplished personal showings during what has been a mixed pre-season for the collective in blue.
The draw with Hoffenheim on Saturday, and certainly the manner in which it was achieved, ensured Michael Beale’s side ended their summer schedule on a positive note. It was far from perfect but recovering from two goals down – thanks to a James Tavernier penalty and a fine Sam Lammers header – against Bundesliga opposition was something to take heart from at least as Rangers embarked on the journey home.
Come Saturday, they will be on their travels again. Rugby Park awaits and Kilmarnock are the first obstacle that must be overcome as Beale’s side attempt to get their Premiership title bid off and running and look to build on the feelgood factor that has been nurtured as a result of the sweeping changes made on and off the park in recent months.
The acquisition of Butland was one of those alterations. Beale has spent significant sums to land Lammers, Cyriel Dessers and Danilo but Butland’s profile in the game speaks for itself and attracting the former England keeper to Glasgow was a sign of intent from Rangers.
Butland will be the first name on the team sheet in Ayrshire. The make-up of the side in front of him remains open to debate, though, and Rangers are very much a work in progress as Beale seeks to iron out defensive deficiencies and find a rhythm from middle to front.
The fixtures with Newcastle United, Hamburg, Olympiacos and Hoffenheim have allowed Beale to mix and match, to experiment and to learn. That process has been the same for all of those that have been part of the pre-season schedule.
“The job never changes,” Butland said as he addressed the ever-changing defensive line that has played over the last couple of weeks. “If anything, it tunes you in a bit more, you need to be aware of the new players on the pitch and the information they need.
“We are hopefully going into a long successful season and there will be different players out there at times. It’s something that you need to adapt to and I’ve just got to do my job.
“I’m looking forward to it. Every game has been exciting and I’m really enjoying being here. The fans have followed us everywhere and it’s been a sight to behold.
“Yeah [I am enjoying playing regularly again]. It’s what I’ve wanted to do. I want to be at the business end of football and that’s what we’re here to do - be great and win. I want to be part of a great club and that’s what it’s all about.”
Many of those fans that made the trip to Sinsheim would have been questioning their travel choices at the break as Rangers found themselves trailing. The scoreline was worrying, but the manner of the goals that were conceded offered a real cause for concern as basic defensive errors were made and Butland was left exposed time after time.
In the end, everyone on and off the park could look back on a worthwhile run-out. The second half improvement offered optimism and the coming days will now be spent trying to move through the gears as the Kilmarnock clash and Champions League meeting with Genk or Servette looms large for Beale and his new-look squad.
Butland spoke about the lure of playing in such occasions when he completed his move from Crystal Palace earlier this summer. His experiences of the Rangers support so far have only served to further whet the appetite.
“I’ve had to pinch myself a few times,” Butland said. “Allan’s testimonial was one thing but I wondered what the next game would be like.
“The next game was 40,000 plus and it was as loud as ever. I messaged my wife to say ‘they were nuts again’.
“I knew what to expect before but until you see it…everywhere we’ve been, they’ve been there. When you walk out away from home especially, and you hear that noise from the fans - it’s pretty special.”
Every seat that Rangers are allocated at Rugby Park will be filled next weekend as Beale’s side look to lay down a marker in the Premiership and get their title challenge off and running with a performance and result befitting of their status as potential champions.
It has not been an encouraging few weeks in terms of the scorelines for Rangers and the win over Hamburg was the only victory recorded in their four warm-up fixtures. Butland will look beyond the black and white, however.
“100 per cent,” Butland said when asked if pre-season had been the ideal preparation for the new campaign. “We’ve wanted to play against top opposition in pre-season and that’s what we’ve done against top European teams.
“There’s no point breezing through pre-season, winning by four or five and then you aren’t ready for the stiff tasks ahead. We’ve played some stiff opposition and we’re ready now.
“They’re a top side and we’ve given ourselves a task to do after the first half but we’ve got ourselves back in the game. We’ve treated it as European tie.”
The continental challenges will arrive sooner rather than later. As Rangers continue their preparations for the Premiership, one eye will be on events in Belgium this week as the Light Blues learn their fate for the third qualifying round tie.
Each fixture so far has helped shape Butland’s view on life at Ibrox. A league debut on the plastic pitch at Rugby Park will be another new experience for a keeper that has seen so much in the game for club and country already.
Discussions over his footwear have already taken place in preparation for the weekend and he will utilise the synthetic surface at Auchenhowie in the coming days to ensure he is as up to speed as possible for what will await as Derek McInnes plots a shock result on the opening weekend.
Regardless of what is underfoot, the ball and the goals are the same. The need to win, especially at a club like Rangers, certainly never changes, either.
“I know it’s going to be different from [Saturday],” Butland said. “I know that I’ve got some top people around me in the goalkeeping staff and they’ve seen it all.
“There’s not a game that goes by where we don’t prepare for the specific task and the coaches know the tricks of the trade.
“They know what to expect from the opposition and pitch, so it’s nothing new. I got a taste of it [against Hoffenheim] with some long balls and crosses, but I enjoy that part of the game.”
