Kris Boyd: 'Angry' Allan McGregor doesn't need to lose his cool to show he's a winner at Rangers

McGregor has been one of the most consistent and impressive performers for Steven Gerrard’s side this term and is undoubtedly the pick of the signings from last summer.

But Boyd has seen an uncharacteristic and unwanted side of his former team-mate in recent months.

On Sunday, the 37-year-old overstepped the mark and kicked out at Marc McNulty late in the 1-0 Premiership win over Hibernian.

It was a moment of madness that didn’t cost the Gers, but one that will rule him out of the Old Firm clash with Celtic this weekend.

READ MORE: Kris Boyd calls for Rangers to give champions Celtic a guard of honour at Ibrox

Boyd said: “When you are at a big club, there are obviously pressures being there. Alfredo Morelos is a young boy and he has learned the hard way after being sent off and missing important games. There is not any excuse for Allan McGregor.

“You can not say he is a young boy and he has been there going for league titles, runs in Europe, big games.

“When you look at Allan first time to what he is now, he is a winner, I get that, and he wants the Rangers fans to understand that he is a Rangers man and that he cares about the whole thing.

“I think, for me, his performances, his saves, show that he cares and that he wants to win.

“There is an angry side to him this year and I don’t understand why. It is disappointing to see because the level he has been playing at has been unbelievable, the best goalkeeper in the country by a mile.

“But he is screaming at defenders, coming charging out of his goal to get involved in incidents and then there are the incidents he has been involved in – the Kris Ajer one, the one at Motherwell. I don’t get what is going through his head sometimes.

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“He doesn’t need to show the Rangers fans he cares by doing stuff like this. His performances show that he cares and that he wants to win with Rangers.

“Maybe it was because we were winning and Allan was part of a group that were winners. There are a lot of the Rangers team that haven’t won anything and maybe he is trying to drive them onto that next level.

“Doing what he is doing is not doing that or showing that. Inside two minutes, he had a fantastic save to get Rangers three points and then he is kicking someone in the back.”

Boss Gerrard cut a frustrated figure on Sunday as he claimed he couldn’t defend McGregor for the needless lash out at McNulty.

Midfielder Ross McCrorie had to take over between the sticks for the closing stages as Rangers held on to secure a fifth consecutive win after seeing off Hearts, Motherwell and Aberdeen in recent weeks.

Gerrard admitted that he may have to start hitting his players in the pockets and fining them for their ill-discipline after a wretched red card record undermined their chances of winning silverware this term.

READ MORE: Sports psychologist: Rangers have failed Alfredo Morelos, he needs help

And former Ibrox star Boyd, speaking at the Kris Boyd Charity Golf Day at Turnberry, knows the 38-year-old must find a solution to solve the issue ahead of his second season as boss.

He said: “Steven Gerrard needs to sort it, it is not a case of having a discussion to see what is going on. He needs to sort it. He needs to show he is that boss. Is it maybe the rules nowadays.

“If you go back, would a Graeme Souness or a Walter Smith, would it have happened under them? No.

“You would have got players sent off, understandably. But I don’t think the sendings off that have happened this year would have happened under them. It is not just at Rangers, I see a lot of players elsewhere pushing the boundaries of managers because the rules have changed and the dynamics of football clubs have changed.

“If you fine players two weeks wages, you have got HR. There are different things that players know that are there.

“We are sitting coming up with excuses, but there are none. You can’t do what he did, it’s simple.”

*Kris Boyd was speaking at The Kris Boyd Charity Golf Day at Trump Turnberry. The Boyd Charity raises funds and awareness for Mental Health.