When Ally McCoist was appointed as the successor to Walter Smith as Rangers manager, he likened the move to 'taking the microphone from Frank Sinatra'. McCoist went on to do it his way at Ibrox.
More than a decade on, there is another changing of the guard, albeit in a different manner. The situation is not as ominous for Jack Butland as it was for McCoist, but he still has big shoes, or big gloves, to fill over the next four seasons.
Butland is the man that will follow in the footsteps of Allan McGregor. The new yellow goalkeeper jersey that he gave supporters a glimpse of when he was unveiled on Tuesday evening will, like his Twitter account, have ‘Butland One’ on it from this summer onwards.
McGregor will never truly and completely be replaced at Ibrox. His personality, his performances and his presence have created a legacy that will stand the test of time and he has retired having earned a Hall of Fame place and a mention in the conversation over who is the finest keeper in the illustrious history of the club.
When the other contender in that particular discussion – the iconic and sadly missed Andy Goram - left Rangers in 1998, boss Dick Advocaat tried, tried and tried again to find a suitable replacement. Antti Niemi and Lionel Charbonnier were not the answer, but Stefan Klos was.
Der Goalie – signed in December from Borussia Dortmund – had the class and quality required to succeed The Goalie. Now Butland must prove that history can repeat itself.
At 30, he is as ready as he is ever going to be. Butland has been touted for a career at the top of the game since his formative years but it is the switch to Rangers that offers him the chance to fulfil his talent and prove that the predictions were shrewd observations rather than speculative guesses.
A move to Manchester United in January saw Butland realise an ambition as he signed for the club he supported as a child but he watched on from the bench throughout. Butland was at Old Trafford to be a back-up for David de Gea and now he is at Ibrox to be the first name on the team-sheet.
Butland spoke about the ‘immense’ contribution that McGregor has made during his interview with RangersTV and how the face of the 41-year-old – with medals round his neck or trophies above his head – was ‘everywhere’ around the club. Butland will never be able to match that success or stardom, but he does have his own unique opportunity at Ibrox.
In hindsight, the goalkeeping situation should have been addressed differently last summer. McGregor should have retired on the back of Seville and the Scottish Cup and a new number one should have been recruited rather than faith being put in Jon McLaughlin.
Those mistakes cannot be taken back or rectified now. Beale has, though, ensured that they will not be repeated and the acquisition of Butland can be seen as both shrewd and sensible as well as a statement of intent. The third signing of the summer could be one of the most important of all.
In a window where Beale’s strike rate needs to be almost perfect, his choice of goalkeeper simply must be spot on. Butland is the chosen one and every effort was put in from Beale as discussions commenced around a month ago and were concluded this week when Butland arrived in Glasgow.
A ‘bells and whistles’ presentation from Beale helped get the deal over the line. The 42-year-old has assumed full ownership of the transfer business that will be conducted before the new term and the personal touch certainly didn’t harm the cause once again as Butland followed Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling in putting pen to paper at Ibrox.
Another handful will follow in the weeks to come but few will carry the expectation of Butland. That pressure is nothing new, at least.
Butland made his name at Birmingham City and built his career at Stoke City. Loans with the likes of Leeds United and Derby County preceded his return to the England squad as the youngest ever Three Lions keeper – who was aged just 19 years and 158 days when he debuted against Italy – earned an international recall.
Recent times have been less enjoyable, however. A move to Crystal Palace did not yield the appearances that were expected and heading to Rangers offers Butland the platform to win rather than just take part as he seeks to lead by example on and off the park.
That role – as a driver of standards and a figure to follow - was one that McGregor fulfilled with trademark passion and energy and Butland has expressed his belief that he can have a positive influence in the dressing room.
There is an appreciation of the history of Rangers but the focus is on the future. A tour around the Trophy Room served to whet the appetite and Butland repeatedly referenced the Ibrox crowd and the impact the support will have during an interview that was more extensive and enlightening than many of the genre that clubs release when deals are done.
McGregor laid the foundations for greatness week in week out. His legacy was born in the very games – the Old Firm fixtures and the European outings – that Butland has a clear thirst for now that his first sessions with Beale and a new-look squad are just a couple of weeks away.
There is a certain irony in the fact that one of his first appearances will come in the game that has been arranged to pay tribute to the man that he has replaced between the sticks. The testimonial against Newcastle United will be the last chance for an emotional farewell for McGregor but a chance for Butland to make an impression on a support that will demand more than any other he has played for in his career.
He was once an understudy to Celtic keeper Joe Hart during his time at St Andrew’s and was able to call on the wisdom of Ben Foster and Maik Taylor. Aged just 19, Butland was selected for the European Championships in 2012 as Roy Hodgson elevated him through the ranks ahead of Scott Carson and Fraser Forster, then a title winner with Celtic.
His manager at that time, Chris Hughton, pinpointed Butland’s maturity as one of his stand-out features. A decade on, he now has the chance to come of age at Ibrox.
The best years are certainly ahead of Butland. He described himself as having ‘so much energy, so much life’ after completing his Bosman move from London to Glasgow and agreeing a contract until the summer of 2027.
He is ‘highly motivated’ to win trophies and he will be at the forefront of that process for seasons to come. Butland may be older than Dowell and Sterling, and January recruits Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin, but he fits the profile of signing that Beale has mapped out and is the kind of player that the manager can, as he puts it, go on a journey with at Ibrox.
It is one Rangers will embark on without a stalwart of side a colossus of the club. Butland isn’t taking over the microphone but he can give supporters something to sing about if he can be the hero that follows the legend.
