BUTLAND: Rangers have a fortnight to stew over agonising Old Firm defeat … and we’ve GOT to come back stronger
Jack Butland believes Rangers must be prepared to endure a fortnight of pain if they are to make amends for Sunday’s defeat at Parkhead.
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Despite a bright start to the game, Philippe Clement’s side ultimately lost 3-0 to slip to fourth place in the Premiership heading into the international break.
Rangers don’t have a game until they travel to face high-flying Dundee United at Tannadice, with Jim Goodwin’s men now a point ahead of them in the table.
But former England keeper Butland feels the angst of the latest derby reverse must be used as a spur to quickly salvage a title challenge that currently has the Ibrox men five points behind Celtic and Aberdeen.
‘We’ve got a tricky period now where we don’t have a game for a couple of weeks,’ he said.
‘That’s going to be the difficult thing. We’re going to be thinking about it for a long time.
Jack Butland cuts an anguished figure during the 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park
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Jack Butland cuts an anguished figure during the 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park
Former England international Butland says Rangers have to improve after the break
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Former England international Butland says Rangers have to improve after the break
Butland tries to rally his team-mates during the Premiership defeat at Parkhead
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Butland tries to rally his team-mates during the Premiership defeat at Parkhead
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‘We’re going to have days to look back at it. We’re going to have a lot of training sessions between now and the next game. It’s important that we do pick them up (the younger players). The next day we’re in, it’s not going to just disappear. There’s no danger of that.
‘It’s going to be something that’s fresh on people’s minds for a while. And it needs to be because that’s how important it is to us and to the club. So, yes, there are things to work on, things to get better at, be more efficient.
‘But I think the belief is there and I hope that shows at least that we’re still fighting.’
Forced to play the start of the season at Hampden due to a delay in building works at Ibrox, Clement’s men exited the Champions League to Dynamo Kyiv after spilling points to Hearts on the opening day.
Sunday’s loss to Celtic, the fifth derby which Clement has failed to win, deepened the sense of gloom that has surrounded the club since the summer.
Butland hopes, though, that the prospect of returning to Ibrox around the end of this month will provide a timely boost.
‘It’s not difficult to pick yourself up,’ he added. ‘It hurts. It’s not what we want. It’s not what we believe our club’s about.
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‘But you have the beauty of being able to hopefully go back to Ibrox again soon, being back with the fans, and hopefully kicking on and putting this behind us. It’s huge, I think in general, just for the club. I think the fans are desperate for it. We’re desperate for it. But it’s no excuse. It’s something we have to deal with. We have dealt with it fairly well, I think.
‘We appreciate the fact that the fans have made differences and changes to their weekends to come and support us.
Butland wears a dejected look as his team fail to find a way back into the Old Firm game
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Butland wears a dejected look as his team fail to find a way back into the Old Firm game
Butland gathers a shot from the Celtic attack as Rangers come under intense pressure
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Butland gathers a shot from the Celtic attack as Rangers come under intense pressure
The goalkeeper was criticised for his positioning when Furuhashi scored Celtic’s second
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The goalkeeper was criticised for his positioning when Furuhashi scored Celtic’s second
‘Hopefully we’re back in Ibrox soon. But that’s by-the-by. We’re disappointed about Sunday. I hope we’ve shown some things that the fans can be hopeful from. But we need to be better because we don’t want these results anymore.
‘We’ve got some great fixtures, some great European sides to look forward to. The league is still our main focus, so we’ve got some work to do. While there were good signs on Sunday, we need to be better. And that’s why I’m here. I’m here to try to help that.’
Butland’s positioning as Kyogo Furuhashi struck Celtic’s second was questioned in some quarters.
‘You never enjoy conceding goals. You always look back at everything,’ he reflected.
‘I looked at my position on the second one. I think I’m in a position which is suitable for where we were at in the game, being in possession of the ball. In giving the ball away, I’m trying to get back to my optimal position where I want to be in that moment.
‘And perhaps a little bit I didn’t quite get back to where I wanted to get to, ideally.’
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