IT is now or never for Robby McCrorie at Ibrox. It is decision time for the goalkeeper and manager Michael Beale.
McCrorie is either the first choice keeper or he is not, either in Beale’s plans or not. If both of those situations are negative, McCrorie will leave Rangers this summer.
The remaining six league fixtures this term are now irrelevant in terms of the title race but they offer an opportunity for Beale and those who are still trying to stake a claim for a place in his squad next season. The moment has come, therefore, to see if McCrorie is the answer to one of the biggest questions at Ibrox.
The 25-year-old had expected this campaign to be his breakthrough one. As it has transpired, recent months have proven to be largely wasted and he does not have a competitive minute of action to his credit once again.
McCrorie was poised to go head-to-head with Jon McLaughlin and attempt to prove that he should be number one for Giovanni van Bronckhorst last summer. As soon as Allan McGregor opted to delay his retirement and extend his contract, the situation changed beyond McCrorie’s control.
The new contract that he signed in October last year was further proof of the esteem in which he is held at Ibrox and came on the back of his latest call-up to the Scotland national squad. Since then, though, McCrorie has remained as third choice for his club and lost his spot for his country and it is Angus Gunn that he must now aim to dislodge in Steve Clarke’s side.
First of all, he must earn a space ahead of Zander Clark or Liam Kelly. And before he can even think about that, he has to prove himself for Rangers and play regular football for the first time in a long time.
Beale has spoken repeatedly about wanting to give McCrorie a chance to show what he can do between the sticks. If McCrorie is going to get a shot, then it must come sooner rather than later.
The Scottish Cup semi-final with Celtic next weekend obviously stands out on the schedule for Rangers and it would be understandable and perfectly reasonable for Beale to want his most experienced and reliable keeper in action at Hampden. That will guarantee McGregor his 503rd appearance for the club but it is hard to make a case for the veteran adding further to his tally unless there is silverware on the line.
Beale will learn nothing by playing McGregor in the remaining Premiership fixtures, and the same can be said for McLaughlin. That is not the case with McCrorie, though.
An ankle injury sustained in late January came at a wretched time for the keeper but he is now fit and ready for action once again. Indeed, he has been assured that he will get a game.
His last action for Rangers came in August 2021. A clean sheet away to Alashkert helped Steven Gerrard’s side reach the group stages of the Europa League and it was followed up days later as McCrorie kept Celtic at bay and Filip Helander netted an Old Firm winner at Ibrox.
He could have no complaints about falling back into line behind McGregor and McLaughlin at that stage but the situation is very different now and he deserves his time between the sticks.
Unless there is another late change of heart, these final fixtures this term will prove to be the last ones of McGregor’s illustrious Rangers career.
In all likelihood, the end of the season will prove to be the end of the road for McLaughlin as well and few supporters would be content with the idea of him starting the next Premiership title bid with the gloves.
Beale has confirmed his desire to sign a goalkeeper come the summer and a couple, including Gunn, have already been linked with a potential move to Ibrox. He will need at least one, probably two and possibly three and the decisions that Beale makes over his keeper will set the tone for his first full term in charge.
McCrorie could be like a new recruit in many ways. If he proves he is good enough to be the first name on the team sheet then Rangers will be able to make considerable savings in terms of wages, and potentially a transfer fee, and reinvest those funds in other areas of the squad.
There is, of course, the chance that McCrorie is not up to the job. But the only way that Beale will know for sure is to put him in the team and see how he fares at Premiership level.
McCrorie has grown up through a system that prepares players for the step into first team football and he is fully cognisant of the demands and expectations of life as a Ranger. If it is ultimately not to be under Beale, his grounding will surely see him go on to establish himself elsewhere and have a long and successful career.
Back in 2015, 'keeper Robby McCrorie was excited to represent Scotland at youth level alongside twin brother Ross - five years on the Livingston stopper is set to be named in Steve Clarke’s full Scotland squad for the first time tomorrow 🏴 pic.twitter.com/rH9Z8UeQ12
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 24, 2020
His doubters will look at a low-key loan at Livingston as proof that he is not cut out to be number one at Ibrox but the experience of working alongside McGregor and McLaughlin, and under coach Colin Stewart, will have stood him in good stead and he is in the right place mentally and physically to make his mark for his boyhood club.
That stint with Livingston came after loans to Berwick Rangers, Morton and Queen of the South and he has taken the route that proved so successful for McGregor. He was 20 when he made his debut against Forfar Athletic but it took patience, perseverance and seasons with St Johnstone and Dunfermline before McGregor could establish himself at Ibrox.
More than two decades on, the next up-and-coming keeper to emerge through the ranks is now primed for action. McCrorie has long been touted as McGregor’s heir in waiting but the coronation will only come if he demonstrates he has the class and calibre required to wear the jersey.
It has taken McCrorie years to get to this stage. The coming weeks will determine his fate and answer all the questions, one way or another, at long last.
