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Daily Record
12 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Rangers fans remember 'that guy' as Jack Butland breaks down walls and bad habits to get them back onside
Rangers fans remember 'that guy' as Jack Butland breaks down walls and bad habits to get them back onside Experienced goalkeeper is loving life under Russell Martin after a summer spent soul searching following difficult moments last season Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland saves a shot from Filip Duricic It can be a lonely position, goalkeeper. Especially for a toiling one. Jack Butland felt that last season probably more than he's ever experienced it in a lengthy career at the top. Moments where the only thing being firmly held was the accusatory glare of tens of thousands of Rangers supporters. High profile errors against Manchester United, Motherwell, Dundee and Hibs proved costly not only to Rangers but eventually the 32-year-old too. With the mistakes mounting and supporters losing faith interim boss Barry Ferguson took the keeper out the firing line ahead of the Europa League quarter-final double header with Athletic Bilbao. And that's when the soul-searching really kicked in. Question marks hung over his position as number one. Article continues below And Butland admits that stung because he is determined to make his mark on history at Ibrox and get his hands on more silverware at the club. The Englishman knew what was needed to drag himself out of the doldrums. He returned to work early in the summer, surrounded himself with like-minded spirits and got his head back in the game. Butland flew to Portugal to attend a goalkeeping training camp ran by England U-20s coach Neil Cutler and also attended by Wolves and fellow former England keeper Sam Johnstone among others. When Rangers returned to Auchenhowie on June 23, he was ready to prove the doubters wrong. And when the campaign got under way exactly a month later in Tuesday's Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos, Butland was back to his best. Three massive saves before Findlay Curtis broke the deadlock in the 2-0 first leg victory almost single-handedly kept Rangers in the tie. It meant Butland's name was again ringing round Ibrox for all the right reasons as punters got back onside. And he said: 'That's what I hope they remember. I certainly feel that guy. I know that they remember that guy that I was at times last year. 'There were also some times where I wasn't at the levels I needed to be. It was not for the lack of trying and not for the effort that I put in on the training pitch. 'I just had a difficult moment. And when you have a difficult moment here, at a club like this, it can be compounded. 'I completely understand at times the frustration of the fans because the expectations of me are so high. 'My expectations of me are so high, which is why probably those moments felt a lot worse. 'But listen, they make you stronger. Sometimes you've got to break down a few walls yourself as far as reminding yourself of things, just training hard, reinforcing things. 'I had a good training camp in the summer. I looked at a few things that I felt I'd slipped into a couple of bad habits. 'And it just gives you a little bit of something to focus on, a different thing to look at. 'And some things that I've taken into this pre-season with a sort of fresh mind. 'I'm really excited about the opportunity to work with the manager and what we're trying to do here. 'Whenever there's those question marks over you - I want to define my time here, I love it here - that can hurt you. 'So I suppose it was a bit of a kick up the backside. Not like I needed it. But if there was any motivation I needed, that was added extra. 'I know I can be a huge, huge part of this club's history and success. I still intend to do that.' Panathinaikos Erik Palmer-Brown is denied by Jack Butland The man of the match performance in Russell Martin 's dugout debut could well have felt like a weight off the shoulders for Butland. But he said: 'I didn't feel like that. I wasn't looking for a big game. It was just a case of 'let's just play the game'. 'I felt in a good place. Let's just try and make good decisions. 'Despite all the things we've been trying to work on as a team, just remember that I'm a goalkeeper first and foremost and try and do that bit. 'There were some other huge blocks in there from the boys. We kept it at nil-nil for a while until Findlay got the breakthrough for us.' With new ownership in the boardroom and the dugout, the new season has an ultra fresh feel for Rangers. Martin has wasted no time implementing his playing style on the side. And Butland feels re-energised. He said: 'Absolutely. There's not been a season I've come in and not felt that. 'But I suppose at the minute what you feel is a new expectation, new ownership, new control, new management, a lot of fresh faces at the training ground. There's been lots of change. 'Sometimes it can be really difficult. But the guys they've brought in, they have a lot of ideas, a lot of energy and it feels like we're starting to operate in a really good way. 'The message is there. You'll start to see some new patterns, some of the ways that we want to play. 'And that only comes if everybody's on it and everyone's in trust and in tandem with each other. Article continues below 'And that's what it's about, on and off the ball, and I think we showed that in large amounts in the first leg.'
Scottish Sun
12 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Liverpool miss out on ‘next Saliba' as Nathan Zeze chooses FC NEOM over host of Premier League clubs
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AMBITIOUS Saudi outfit NEOM are closing in on highly-rated French defender Nathan Zeze — who has been dubbed the next William Saliba. The 20-year-old centre-back had Premier League suitors queuing up, including Liverpool, Aston Villa, Everton and Bournemouth. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Nathan Zeze is heading to the Saudi Pro league despite having offers in Europe Credit: Getty 5 Zeze is regarded as a rising star in French football Credit: Getty Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw Play via Dream Team's app or website today! But in a shock move, he's chosen to take his talents to the Saudi Pro League. Zeze, who came through the ranks at Nantes, has been turning heads across Europe with his powerful displays at the back. And it seems the scouts weren't wrong — he's now bagged himself a big-money move. SunSport understands Bournemouth made the first move back in May, tabling a verbal £17million bid — but it wasn't enough to tempt Nantes to sell. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL HE'S THE GUEYE Man Utd hijack Brentford bid for wonderkid days after snaring £71m Mbeumo Aston Villa were also closely tracking the young Frenchman as they look to strengthen their backline following the departure of Axel Disasi. Everton were in the frame too. But it's NEOM who've got the deal done. SunSport can reveal that Zeze will undergo a medical this week, and all that's left is the formalities before he's officially unveiled. NEOM have made no secret of their ambition to build a star-studded squad. They've already got Said Benrahma and Alexandre Lacazette on board, and just recently snapped up ex-PSG keeper Marcin Bulka. Former Nottingham Forest sporting director Kyriakos Dourekas is now leading the charge at NEOM and with signings like Zeze, it's clear the Saudi side mean serious business. Kyriakos is highly regarded in the football transfer business and played a key role in Forest's promotion to the Premier League. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 5 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW He now has the task of ensuring NEOM stay in the top league and overseeing plans for a new stadium and growing their global identity. In more Saudi transfer news Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr are closing in on signing Chelsea's Joao Felix. Where Liverpool's Ekitike talks leave Isak and Newcastle | Transfers Exposed Sunsport understand that the deal will be worth £43.7million with the player set for a medical later this week. Felix made just 12 Premier League appearances, scoring only once, last season following his move back to Stamford Bridge. 5 Felix was close to joining Benfica before Al Nassr came calling Credit: Getty
STV News
12 minutes ago
- STV News
Chris Sutton: Celtic are weaker than last season and need to strengthen
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton says the champions' squad is not as strong now as it was at the end of last season and the club needs to add signings. Kieran Tierney, Shin Yamada and Benjamin Nygren are among those already recruited this summer but the squad has seen some high-profile deparrtures over the last year. Manager Brendan Rodgers has talked about his wish to add quality so he can continue the progress made last season in Europe alongside domestic success and has suggested he wants more new arrivals who are first team starters. Sutton thinks it's evident that the club need to be moving soon to make new additions. 'I think there's still work to be done for Celtic in the transfer season,' he said. 'If you look at the squad going into the season I think it's a little bit light. Brendan Rodgers, everything I've seen him hint at or say [suggests he] feels the same. 'It's fair to say that the squad right now isn't as strong as the end of last season. That's not ideal but there's still plenty of time left in the transfer window. Squad-wise there is still work to be done.' Sutton sees his old position as one that definitely needs attention but sees wide players and a back-up left-back as other areas where recruits are required. 'Celtic sold Kyogo in January and I think Brendan talked about how he wanted to replace him then,' he said. 'It didn't happen and it hasn't happened in the summer. 'If something happened to Daizen Maeda then the club are going to be in a bit of bother. 'Whether Brendan goes with Adam Idah this season, I think the jury is still out and towards the end of last season Brendan was leaving him out when Kyogo had gone. 'He's still in the development phase so it could be a big season for him. Having said that, he did score 20 goals, which was impressive. 'Losing Nicolas Kuhn and with Jota injured they are short in some areas. I saw Greg Taylor at the airport heading out [to PAOK] and with Jeffrey Schlupp went back to his club though Kieran Tierney has come in as a big boost it still feels like there's work to be done for Celtic to get to the level Celtic want to be.' The defence of the Premiership title begins next week and there is a crucial Champions League play-off to come. Sutton says they don't look ready quite yet, and the difference from last year is stark. 'They won the league in the first half of last season and they set off like a house on fire,' he said. 'They had real momentum going into the season and they had a good pre-season. 'It doesn't quite feel like that right now and there's the the burden of the Champions League qualifiers and we know how big they are for the club. They've got to navigate their way through that.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
