admin‘I believe…’: Rangers star fires defiant message to teammates as Ibrox leader shows powers of recovery
Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland has shown his resilience once again, bouncing back strongly after a costly mistake against Hearts and urging his teammates to follow his example.
The England international had endured a difficult spell earlier in the season, losing his place after a run of errors late last term. While criticism surrounded Rangers’ early-campaign struggles, Butland quietly rediscovered his best form before a setback in the 2–1 defeat at Tynecastle earlier this month — a result that left the club languishing in fourth at Christmas for the first time in 22 years.
His error gifted Lawrence Shankland the decisive goal just before half-time, ending Rangers’ eight-game unbeaten run. Despite being one of the club’s most consistent performers this season, it was a tough moment for the goalkeeper to endure.
However, Butland quickly responded in the best possible way, producing a string of vital saves in the 1–0 win over Motherwell as Rangers climbed back into third place. With a title push still on the horizon, the 30-year-old believes mental strength will be key.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever conceded a goal like that one in my career,” Butland admitted. “The timing, the situation — it was difficult. Goalkeeping has a way of reminding you that you’re human. But I train for every scenario, and getting back out on the pitch this week felt great. I know how important I am to this team.”
He added: “I don’t brush it off or pretend it doesn’t hurt. It does. But you have to move on. I believe I’ve contributed a lot here and I still believe I can help this team push forward.”
Time away with his family also helped him reset mentally, something he admits he may not have managed as well earlier in his career.
“The first 24 to 48 hours were tough,” he said. “But that’s football. As goalkeepers, we’ll always concede goals — sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Now a senior figure under Danny Röhl, Butland has challenged his teammates to show the same resilience as Rangers look to close the gap on league leaders Hearts, currently nine points clear.
“I’m confident because we’re not the finished article yet,” he explained. “There’s still a lot of improvement in this team. If we were playing at our best and still falling short, that would be worrying. But we’re improving, and that’s why I believe we can close that gap. We just have to keep pushing and getting better.”
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