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No 'glove' lost in Scotland’s Number 1 battle
There is an interesting fight in Scottish football this season, but rest assured, the gloves wont be coming off for this one.
It’s certainly an exciting time to be involved in Scottish football, with new managerial appointments, significant squad investment and encouraging crowd attendances, Scottish football has it’s ‘mojo’ back. But for me, there is nothing more exciting than the battle we are about to witness in opposing 18 yard boxes, for Scotland’s number one jersey.
With Allan McGregor making a return to Ibrox after a 6 year exile and Craig Gordon looking to continue his impressive resurgence from near retirement, Alex McLeish will be looking forward to watching these two top Goalkeepers push each other all the way to be his trusted shot stopper.
Celtic number one, Craig gordon, was the starting Goalkeeper towards the end of Gordon Strachan’s reign as Scotland manager, with David Marshall having enjoyed a spell beforehand. But, with Allan McGregor earning the nod for McLeish’s first two matches on his return to the Scotland hot seat, it would seem nobody has the countries gloves firmly around their wrists.
Some fans suggested that Gordon’s form for Celtic dipped ever so slightly last season, but this is arguably down to the high standard he has set since his move to Parkhead in 2014 after 2 years of rehabilitation to get his career back on track.
Whether this is the case or not, he certainly needs no greater motivation to hit peak form again, than to outshine a determined Allan McGregor who has returned to Govan, who may feel he has a point to prove due to the nature of his 2012 exit from the club.
It’s been a relatively quiet period for Allan McGregor, with his last Tartan Army appearance in a competitive fixture being the 6-0 demolition of Gibraltar back in October 2015. Injuries have played a major part in that, but he will be looking to leave those aches and pains behind him as he look’s to impress under new boss, Steven Gerrard.
Of course, David Marshall will also be looking to stake his own claim too. The Hull City Goalkeeper hasn’t seen much action in recent seasons, having to watch both Allan McGregor and Eldin Jakupović from the sidelines. But, now injury free and with both Goalkeepers having now moved on from the club, the ex Celtic man will be looking to impress his new Scotland boss, as Hull look to push for a return to the Premier League.
If Big Eck’s first quartet of games are anything to go by, he’s not reluctant to give players a chance if their club form warrants the opportunity. Therefore, the aforementioned Goalkeeper’s will be looking to impress on a weekly basis with other Scottish cats such as Scott Bain, Jordan Archer and Jon McLaughlin looking to cement their places in the national set up.
It’s incredibly exciting times, it almost feel’s like the 90’s again. An era in which we had arguably two of Scotland’s greatest ever Goalkeeper’s going up against each other, in Jim Leighton and Andy Goram, for the national jersey.
Leighton went on to amass an impressive 91 caps for the tartan army, earning him the accolade of his countries most capped Goalkeeper, with Goram’s off field issues perhaps hampering his international aspirations.
However, there is simply no doubt that these two professionals pushed each other all the way on a weekly basis and anyone who has played competitive football will agree, as much as you don’t like someone trying to take your starting jersey away from you, you certainly need it to be pushed onto new levels.
And, that is exactly what we have with this Goalkeeper match up taking place across the Glasgow divide. Both Goalkeepers will be aware that they have to make their mark early too, that’s why I will be watching closely as they look to impress this weekend, against Livingston and Aberdeen, respectively.
It’s a long 8 months before the qualifying matches are upon us for Euro 2020, but with the newly formed UEFA Nations League starting in September, the opening 4 Ladbrokes Premiership fixtures could well determine who gets the nod against Albania on September 10th.
It’s also worth noting that there are some other fantastic Goalkeepers in the SPFL, who will be looking to impress for their respective clubs this season.
Aberdeen’s Joe Lewis will be determined to leave a frustrating season behind him last year, as injury forced him to miss a large portion of the campaign. Prior to that, the Englishman was in fantastic form for the Dons, with some suggesting he was challenging Craig Gordon as the the top Goalkeeper in the country.
After a fine season last year, Motherwell Goalkeeper Trevor Carson will be looking to further impress. With a bid from Celtic already being rejected for the Northern Irishman in January, another fine season could earn him that big move that he has openly indicated, is a future goal of his.
A promising ex Rangers Goalkeeper will also be looking to prove a point in his first season in the SPFL. Liam Kelly has recently left the Glasgow side to join a new look Livingston, with former team mate Kenny Miller now in charge. Kelly enjoyed a successful spell with Livingston in the 2016/17 season, winning League 1. And, with Livi having since won back to back promotions in to the top tier, the young Scotsman will be looking to impress again.
With the league shaping up to be the most competitive it has been in a very long time, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be covering Scottish football and Goalkeepers in particular.
Article written by, David Scott.
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