THE debates and discussions are as irrelevant as they are futile. Ultimately, it will matter little to Allan McGregor whether the public-approved crown of 'The Greatest of All Time' rests on his head or not.

His Ibrox legacy will be measured in memories, moments and medals. On Saturday afternoon, he will reach another landmark and make his 500th appearance for Rangers as his place in the folklore of the club is further enshrined.

He is unquestionably the finest Rangers goalkeeper of his generation. That statement usually leads into a conversation about where he ranks amongst the all-time greats and opinions will be divided over whether McGregor or Andy Goram merits that particular GOAT - to use the social media parlance - accolade in what are likely to be his final months at Ibrox.

The Herald: Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor

The point was raised in a light-hearted manner with another iconic figure between the sticks as a joke is shared with Peter McCloy, himself an illustrious member of the 500 club. Comparisons between eras are impossible to make and the Barcelona Bear believes McGregor will not be too concerned with how he is viewed in the head-to-head with The Goalie.

"I always kid on and say it is a debate about who is the second best goalkeeper," McCloy says with a laugh after being asked who was the Ibrox greatest, besides himself of course. "It is a funny one because, not just for goalkeepers but any position nowadays, it is a difficult debate because the game has evolved so much now.

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"The keepers are coached and worked differently, the game is different, the ball flies about a bit more than when we played. You don’t see keepers catching the ball as often this days and they seem to push it away. That is down to the movement of the ball.

"He will, in time, look back with such fond memories and he has done such a great job for the club. It was only recently he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. I thought he would have been in before that, but there you go."

That induction last month was an honour to cherish for McGregor and it was clear what it meant to him as it was confirmed his name would be etched on that star-studded board that catches the eye and sparks so many recollections whenever you climb the Marble Staircase.

His inclusion has been earned as a result of his service and his success. Yet few in recent times have provided as many snapshots of greatness - from the penalty stop to deny Georgios Samaras to the Lukas Masopust header against Slavia Prague or spot-kick stops at home to Napoli - as the man that Jim Stewart worked alongside for Rangers and Scotland.

"I think there are so many moments it makes it difficult to take one and isolate it," Stewart said. "His focus when it came to situations like penalty kicks, he is fantastic. Whether it is a psyche, whether it is the homework that he did and we did with him.

"The most outstanding one, for me, would be the night in Bremen. His save was incredible. But there are so many.

 

 

"You could spend so long talking about him. He is a unique character but, for me, he was a joy to work with. An absolute joy."

Stewart was in the privileged position of seeing McGregor at close hand and at his best and few in the game know him better. The 41-year-old is usually a man of few words in public, a character that prioritises collective achievement over individual accolades, and he has become famed for his dry demeanour in front of the cameras.

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He is known just as well for the manner in which he berates team-mates or officials. McGregor does not just meet the standards at Ibrox, he drives them and helped set the bar during the reigns of Walter Smith and Ally McCoist first time around and under Steven Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale following his return to the club five years ago.

"He knows the club inside out," Stewart said. "He knows what playing for a massive club like Rangers is about.

The Herald: Rangers' goalkeeper Allan McGregor makes a late save during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 1st Leg between Slavia Prague and Rangers at the Sinobo Stadium

"He is a model professional and represents himself and the club and to last as long as he has is a testament to how he has prepared himself day in day out, week in week out. That desire to come back to the club when he did showed that he felt he had unfinished business.

"The ultimate pro. I know a lot of people will look at that and say this or that, but the one thing I would say about him is that once he is in the building, that is him totally focused on the job in hand.

"I definitely think there is a bit that people don’t know about Allan. A lot of stuff has come from a newspaper clipping or a story and then they form an opinion.

"When you work with him day to day and you learn about him then you understand him. He is one of these guys that knows the club, that loves the club and he is desperate for success. That has not changed since he was a kid."

It was during those formative years that Alex McLeish first worked with McGregor. He was there for the start of his Rangers career at Station Park in 2002 and the end of his Scotland stint when McGregor retired from national service some 17 years later.

 

By the time McGregor had established himself at Ibrox, he had spent time on loan at St Johnstone and Dunfermline Athletic and then seen off every challenger for the gloves. The rest, as they say, is history.

"Well, it is amazing," McLeish said ahead of his landmark appearance against Dundee United this weekend. "I am sure all of the outfield players would love to be able to play until they are his age.

"He has thoroughly deserved his great career. He is a fantastic goalkeeper and I wish him many more games if he decides to play on. He is such a great guy.

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"He is a winner. If the outplay play is not to his liking then he will not be slow in coming forward and reminding the players to get the levels up.

"He has that mindsight and mentality but also the quality of his game is exceptional and that has allowed him to be at this level all of these years. It is incredible that he is still as good as he is at 41.

"I was there as his manager when he was just evolving as a kid and coming through at Rangers. He was a pleasure to work with then and I don’t remember any incidents.

"We had a great relationship and that has been maintained, like it has with so many team-mates over the years. That is something that I cherish and Greegsy is a terrific player and person. I wish him well."

McGregor will become just the second keeper, after McCloy, to reach the 500 matches milestone. It is a deed that is almost unique in the game today and the Girvan Lighthouse recalls a time when he played alongside the likes of John Greig, Sandy Jardine and Derek Johnstone, all of whom join him on the list of top ten appearances for Rangers.

"At the time back then, you didn’t really think about how many games you had played," McCloy said. "It is a great achievement for Allan and I am pleased for him. I thought it would have happened before now to be honest, it feels like he has been here for so long.

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"I didn’t think anything of it at the time but a lot of years later people ask you how many games you played for the club. I had 644 in total but they don’t count the Australia and New Zealand and Canada tours. For me, if you played for Rangers then you played for Rangers.

"I think the big thing is your own self, it is your will to keep going. He has obviously been training well and looking after himself for a long time and he is getting the rewards now.

The Herald: 06/09/18. SCOTLAND TRAINING . ORIAM - EDINBURGH. Scotland's Allan McGregor..

"I wish him all the best. I hope he passes my record by a lot. Records are made to be broken but in this day and age, there are not many people who are going to do it now."

Had fate dealt McGregor a different hand at various stages of his career, the history books would have been rewritten long before now for both club and country. A place in the Hampden Hall of Fame could have been earned but his decision to retire ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifiers left him eight caps short of the 50 required.

McGregor would miss out on a place at a major finals. His remarkable save against Israel months earlier was decisive in helping Scotland end their absence, though, as a play-off spot was earned and David Marshall became the hero on that night in Belgrade.

"I was obviously disappointed for my own reasons and situation when he made that decision," McLeish, who insisted at the time that McGregor's call was not influenced by a retrospective ban he had been given by the Scottish FA, said as he reflected on the past, present and future.

"But Greegsy told me that he wanted to come out of the national team and I totally respected that.

"As a result of that, we had to move onto other goalkeepers. The cycle had to continue for Scotland. His focus then was on club football and to still be playing for as long says a lot for him.

"He still has got a lot to give the game. Sometimes people go on a different plane after they retire. If Greegsy chose to continue in the game and wanted to go into coaching, then I am sure he will get his badges and he would be an asset to the club."