Jon McLaughlin made a crucial save in Belgium to prevent Rangers going three goals down to Union Saint-Gilloise and almost certainly out of the Champions League. He did the same on Tuesday night to deny PSV’s Philipp Max to keep the scoreline at 2-2, keeping the dream alive ahead of next week’s play-off second leg in Eindhoven.
And yet the Rangers No 1 knows the doubters remain. He was criticised for the first goal conceded against Union and there are those who believe he should have been more commanding at the corners from which his team lost both goals to the Dutch, even if those in front of him were more culpable.
McLaughlin knows why. He only has to look at the bench to see the man he has displaced as first choice keeper. Allan McGregor, Rangers’ record European appearance holder and perhaps only second to Andy Goram in the eyes of most when it comes to a ‘best-ever Ibrox goalie’ conversation, is sitting waiting for his chance and there are many who believe he should be between the sticks.
McLaughlin, at 34, is experienced enough to handle that situation and was certainly willing enough to discuss it in the aftermath of yet another high octane European night that rocked Ibrox to its foundations.
Asked if he was aware of extra scrutiny because McGregor has been such a pivotal and popular figure, he said: “Of course. I don’t think you can get away from that. There is a lot said and a lot of noise around it.
“I suppose that comes with the territory at Rangers. It’s not as if we didn’t know that would be the case. Of course, all I can do is be the best version of myself, I can’t be somebody else. If I am asked to play I give my best for the manager, the team and the club. That’s as far as I can take it.
“Whatever else is going on around that, however other people see it, is out of my control. Of course you feel it. You know it’s there. But I am just doing the best that I can to be worthy of that shirt and that badge every time I play.”
McLaughlin accepts that being under the microscope is the price of the ticket when you for a club of Rangers’ stature.
"Maybe more so in my position with the man I am playing ahead of,” he added. "It’s ramped up even further in the eyes of a lot of people and it’s always going to be a talking point and something that can be used.
“So of course I would be lying if I said that I didn’t know it was there in the background. But, again, I knew it was coming. It’s no shock, it’s no surprise and the life of a goalkeeper means you’ve got to have that thick skin.
“You’ve got to have that confidence in yourself and that belief and hope the manager is picking you for good reason. And that you can go out and show that his trust is well founded.”
The former Hearts and Sunderland No 1 believes his experience will help him cope with any additional pressure now that he has earned the starting slot.
“I have been at this club for two years now, I have played quite a number of games,” he said. “I’m not a debutant, I have tried to apply myself the same way every single time I have played for this club.
“And, again, I can’t do a lot about what people out there say. People can have their opinions, people can have their conversations and they are free to do that. It’s out of my control. The only thing I can do is give my best every single time.”
He believes that despite the draw at Ibrox, the Champions League group stage is still within Rangers’ grasp and he made sure his voice was heard in the aftermath of the pulsating clash with PSV.
“You try to get round everybody and keep the spirits up because the dressing room was pretty flat at the end, even though we’ve come away with a result that keeps us right in the tie against a very very good side. A team with huge European experience throughout their team.
“But at home we have been so used to getting that lead and atmosphere and getting the crowd going we’ve been able to see it through. And it would have been great to take a lead over to Eindhoven.
“But although we are disappointed at the manner of the goals we lost, we know exactly what we have to do to improve. PSV have come here and they gave us respect, they played well, applied themselves well at Ibrox and got a good result.
“We need to go and do the same over there. We know how well we have played against other teams in previous years away from home. We need to do that again now. But we have certainly seen that we can go toe to toe over 90 minutes. It is all to play for in that second leg.
“We are just disappointed in the end that it has come down to a couple of set pieces otherwise we might have had a better result. But we remain confident going into that second leg.’’
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