Glasgow Rangers ace Allan McGregor makes brutally honest admission as Ibrox pre-season under way

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Glasgow Rangers are back in pre-season ahead of what will be an absolutely crucial campaign for the Ibrox side in Scottish and European competition.

Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor has made a frank and honest admission about what he thinks of pre-season in conversation with the Ibrox club’s media team (as quoted by Football Scotland), admitting that he downright hates it and has had nightmares about since he was a teenager.

The 37-year-old has been a professional footballer since 2001 and prior to that would have had pre-season in the youth ranks (Transfermarkt), so he has plenty of experience of what it’s like to come back from holiday and begin preparations for nine plus months of competitive football.

Nevertheless, McGregor did also admit that he felt the benefit of it last summer, with Steven Gerrard having recently taken the reins at the famous club at that point, and given he made 52 appearances and kept 24 clean sheets in all competitions, clearly it worked well.

The Rangers squad will spend next week at a training camp in Portugal as they prepare for the first Europa League game in just four weeks, and with continental competition potentially going alongside fighting on three domestic fronts, it will be crucial for each of the Light Blues.

“It is always competitive so it is a good thing for me, it is enjoyable,” said McGregor. “I dreaded pre-season even when I was 16. every year I have nightmares about it when I’m on holiday. I hate it to be honest, but it is what it is. It’s got to be done. I think it benefitted me last year, although during pre-season I thought I was absolutely terrible, but there you go.”

Should Rangers get through the first qualifying round of the Europa League against either Prishtina of Kosovo or St Joseph’s of Gibraltar, they have drawn Progres Niederkorn, Cork City or Cardiff Met University in a potential Europa League second qualifying round tie, set to take place on July 25 and August 1.

Europe aside, there is also the pressing issue of the Scottish Premiership and Scottish and League Cups, with the Bears’ bitter Old Firm rivals having won eight league titles in a row and claimed a domestic treble in each of the last three seasons – something Gers need to put a stop to.