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Jon McLaughlin notched up his 29th clean sheet in 44 Rangers appearances on Sunday which begs the question as to whether the Scotland international deserves to keep the gloves for the foreseeable.
The 35-year-old was drafted into the starting line-up against Dundee United in place of Allan McGregor with Michael Beale justifying his decision prior to kick-off when he said: “Jon is in a good place, it’s nothing against Allan.
I just think this game suits Jon and he’s been training well, biding his time. He had an excellent game up at Ross County.
“I just think Jon on deadballs, he might be able to help us a little bit and I’m expecting that sort of game where set-pieces will be important.”
In the end, United rarely tested the Rangers backline and set-pieces weren’t an issue as Beale remarked at full-time.
“I thought it might be a game there were a lot of set-plays and it didn’t actually pan out,” he admitted.
“Jon excels in that and I knew I was changing one or two other things in the team as well so he gives us that extra bit of height as a goalkeeper in terms of coming and claiming it.
“I feel that Jon, this year, the narrative around Jon is a poor narrative. In my time at the club previously and since I’ve been back, Jon’s record per game and wins and clean sheets are absolutely outstanding.
“He made quite a high-profile mistake but I don’t think you should condemn him. It’s important I keep Jon focused and feeling like he’s wanted and loved around here because he is.”
He may not have had a great deal to do, but Beale’s comments are interesting. He is clearly a big fan of McLaughlin and feels the criticism that followed his Parkhead horror show was too severe.
The manager has a point. If you analyse any modern-day goalkeeper, even the most highly rated are prone to clangers.
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Look at David de Gea just last week, allowing a ball to squirm through his legs in the lead-up to an Everton goal. Ederson, Allison and Hugo Lloris have also had their fair share of howlers too. In that respect, McLaughlin is no different.
What he is, however, is a safe pair of hands. He is someone that very rarely lets Rangers down and, as Beale touched on, his record at Ibrox is first-class.
Now, whether that is deserving of a first-team place over McGregor is up for debate.
If we look at this season’s Premiership stats, it paints a pretty clear picture as to who the Rangers No.1 should be.
McLaughlin outperforms McGregor in every metric. Given he is more aggressive in the penalty area coming for crosses, there's a strong case for him starting in games going forward.
Can he be the answer long term? The jury is certainly out on that, as is the future of Robby McCrorie.
Despite penning a contract extension in October, the 24-year-old hasn’t had a look in. When this writer quizzed Beale about his future recently, he was undecided about whether to send him out on loan for the second half of the season.
For the sake of the lad’s career, it would be highly beneficial to be playing games, given he hasn’t done so since the two matches against Celtic and Alashkert at the start of last season.
Going forward, it’s likely we may see more rotation when it comes to McLaughlin and McGregor. It was the case under Beale and Steven Gerrard prior to their departure from Ibrox.
Before moving to Aston Villa, McGregor and McLaughlin had played six games each in the league.
Gerrard touched on the subject of goalkeeper rotation prior to the match against St Mirren back in October 2021, when he explained why McGregor wasn't featuring quite so regularly.
“We are going to have to [rest him]. He’s at that age. He’s made a decision for us to play on, and have had that chat and it was about me saying to Allan at times we are going to have to look after him.
"We want Allan fit for the rest of the season, he is so important for us, but I can’t ask him to go game, game, game.
“His body is at a stage where he needs looking after at times.”
McGregor is about to turn 41 at the end of the month, as much as he has cemented himself in Ibrox folklore till the end of time, he does not represent the future.
What is clear, whatever happens, is that McLaughlin’s Rangers career is very much alive and well. His role looks set to increase under Beale.
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