Rangers star man reveals 'homework' secrets after reaching 'incredible' record leaving Kris Boyd in awe
Rangers star man reveals 'homework' secrets after reaching 'incredible' record leaving Kris Boyd in awe
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Rangers star man reveals 'homework' secrets after reaching 'incredible' record leaving Kris Boyd in awe

Alistair Gordon 🕒︎ 2025-10-31

Copyright glasgowworld

Rangers star man reveals 'homework' secrets after reaching 'incredible' record leaving Kris Boyd in awe

Rangers climbed up to third place in the table thanks to a 1-0 victory at Easter Road on Wednesday night. Danny Rohl decided to shake things up formation-wise, as he played five at the back against a Hibs side notoriously dangerous on the counter attack. In a way, it worked, as Rangers kept a clean sheet with Danilo’s left footed strike on the five minute mark being the only difference between the sides. However, despite keeping a clean sheet, Rangers weren’t exactly comfortable in defence. Thibault Klidje missed for the home side from close range, while Grant Hanley’s header required a superb save from Jack Butland in the first half. The Rangers stopper was then called into action again in the dying minutes, when Hibs were awarded a penalty. Jamie McGrath is normally a reliable figure from the spot kick, however not for the first time, Butland read where the Irishman was going and parried the ball wide of the post. From the 14 penalties Rangers have conceded with Butland between the sticks, he has only conceded eight, giving him a remarkable success rate of 42.8%. But with the obvious advantage strikers possess when it comes to shooting from 12 yards out, how does manage to even the odds? The Rangers keeper also saved Jamie McGrath’s when he played for Aberdeen this time last year, so perhaps there was a psychological battle going on between the pair. Either way, Butland puts his impressive record down to a mix between ‘homework’ and ‘pot luck’. Speaking to Sky Sports post-match he said: “I faced him (McGrath) before, when he was at Aberdeen and it went well then. It's always pot luck but I did my homework a little bit and it paid off this time.” The vice-captain also went onto praise his team’s performance after an underwhelming start to the season: “But it was important for us. We're a young group, a new group that's learning. The fight that we showed is something we're going to need going forward. So that was really good to see. I'm just pleased I was able to help us out. The boys fully deserve it. Sometimes 1-0's are better than threes and fours. So that's really important for us." Former Rangers serial goalscorer, Kris Boyd, who was prolific from the spot himself as a player, couldn’t believe a certain statistic about Butland. Speaking on the game as a pundit, Boyd said: “six penalties in his last seven he’s saved, that’s incredible.” Other notable Butland spot kick saves came against Fenerbahce last season in the Europa League last 16. The Rangers stopper saved penalties from former English Premier League stars, Dusan Tadic and Fred to send Rangers through to the last 16. Penalty saving has been a good trait of Rangers goalkeepers down the generations, from Allan McGregor who saved three out of seven in Old Firm matches to Andy Goram, who had a 47.4% penalty saving record, shutting out nine from 19 in a Rangers jersey. Your next Rangers read: Rangers given injury boost as forgotten man returns to training who's 'perfect' for Danny Rohl's tactics

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