Allan McGregor

Football player infobox
playername = Allan McGregor
fullname = Allan James McGregor


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1982|1|31
cityofbirth = Edinburgh
countryofbirth = Scotland
height = height|m=1.83
currentclub = Rangers
clubnumber = 1
position = Goalkeeper
years = 1998–
2004–2005
2005–2006
clubs = Rangers
→ St. Johnstone (loan)
→ Dunfermline (loan)
caps(goals) = 74 (0)
20 (0)
26 (0)
nationalteam = Scotland
nationalyears = 2007-
nationalcaps(goals) = 02 (0)
pcupdate = 14 September, 2008
ntupdate = 14 September, 2008

Allan James McGregor (born January 31, 1982 in Edinburgh) is a professional football goalkeeper currently playing for Scottish Premier League club Rangers and the Scotland national football team.

Club career

Early career

McGregor signed for Rangers in 1998 and was touted as an excellent goalkeeping prospect.Fact|date=March 2008 His high hopes were put on hold when he injured his wrist during a youth match, somewhat stunting his development. He was a regular in the Reserve team.

He made his first team debut in February 2002 in a Scottish Cup match against Forfar Athletic and his SPL debut against Aberdeen. McGregor did not play a single minute of competitive football during 2002–3, an unused substitute in every match of Rangers' Treble success. The following season, McGregor made six appearances, twice in the League cup and four times in the league.

Loan spells

In 2004–5 McGregor was loaned to Scottish Football League club St Johnstone, making his his debut in a Challenge Cup match against Alloa Athletic. McGregor produced a string of impressive performances for the Saints and kept six consecutive clean sheets for the club. This achievement was recgonised as he was named SFL Player of the month for December 2004. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/st_johnstone/4169939.stm "Saints' form rewarded by Bell's"] BBC Sport website (12 January 2005)] He made 24 appearances in total for the club and kept 11 clean sheets. Upon returning to Rangers in January 2005, McGregor found himself thurst into the number one spot after an injury to first choice Stefan Klos. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/4215283.stm "Klos out for rest of the season"] BBC Sport website (29 January 2005)] He played in a 3-0 win over Livingston and was widely expected to remain in goal for he rest of the season. However, manager Alex McLeish then signed Dutch keeper Ronald Waterreus [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/4222099.stm "Keeper Waterreus joins Rangers"] BBC Sport website (31 January 2005)] on deadline day, a move which angered McGregor. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/4229127.stm "McGregor anger at keeper signing"] BBC Sport website (2 February 2005)]

For the 2005-06 campaign McGregor was on loan to Dunfermline Athletic, making his Pars debut in a 3–2 league defeat to Kilmarnock. He played in the League Cup final defeat to Celtic [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dunfermline_athletic/4186858.stm "Dunfermline add two more to squad"] (BBC Sport website (29 August 2005)] and made a total of 31 appearances, keeping seven clean sheets.

Rangers first team

When new Rangers manager, Frenchman Paul Le Guen, arrived McGregor was deemed surplus to requirements and was made available for transfer in August.cite news|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/sport/6027838.html|publisher=Glasgow Evening Times (Darrell King)|title=Gers keeper hunt as Mac told he can go|date=2006-08-08] McGregor's wage demands were enough to scare off his possible SPL suitorsFact|date=August 2008 and he remained at Ibrox after the summer transfer window closed.

A bizarre pre-season cycling injury to Klos [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/5013748.stm "Gers keeper injured while biking "] BBC Sport website (24 May 2006)] saw McGregor start the 2006–07 season as back-up to Lionel Letizi. When Letizi was also injured, McGregor started the next match for Rangers, a 2-2 draw away to Kilmarnock. He went on to produce some impressive performances and was awarded the Scottish Premier League player of the month for Septembercite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6034227.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=McGregor aims for award rewards |date=2006-10-09] and then rewarded with a new contract. This deal committed him to Ibrox until 2009.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6091250.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=McGregor signs new deal at Ibrox|date=2006-10-27]

McGregor was dropped after Letizi returned from injury. This decision by Le Guen was to backfire as Letizi was at fault for the goal conceded in a 1-0 home defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.Fact|date=August 2008 This led to many fans calling for McGregor to be reinstated in goal,Fact|date=August 2008 but Le Guen remained faithful to the French goalkeeper and Letizi continued to play in the subsequent matches, until suffering another injury during the warm-up of Rangers' UEFA Cup match against Maccabi Haifa. McGregor returned in goal and would remain there for the rest of the season.

McGregor was sent off during Rangers' UEFA Cup match at Ibrox against Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv, which they won 4-0. After Barry Ferguson's second goal, Italian referee Matteo Trefoloni gave a straight red card to the goalkeeper, for headbutting Hapoel substitute Luciano de Bruno. The incident was not caught on television cameras, and McGregor denied headbutting de Bruno, and he was given a two-match ban, reduced to a one-game ban on appeal.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6390335.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=Uefa hands McGregor two-match ban|date=2007-02-28] At the end of his first season as Rangers number one, McGregor was voted by his team-mate as Rangers' "Player's Player of the Year" at an award ceremony.cite news|url=http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1011888,00.html|title=Hemdani Named Player Of The Year|publisher=Rangers official website|date=April 16, 2007]

McGregor signed a four year contract with Rangers in September 2007.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/7008254.stm|title=McGregor extends Rangers contract|publisher=BBC Sport website|date=September 22, 2007] He continued to be Rangers first choice the following season, despite the arrival and subsequent departure of Roy Carroll. Rangers progressed to the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup after his superb display in the second leg against Werder Bremen.cite news|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football-news/scottish-football/scottish-football/2008/03/14/walter-smith-salutes-rangers-keeper-allan-mcgregor-86908-20350683/|publisher=Daily Record.co.uk |title=Smith Salutes Rangers Keeper McGregor|date=2008-03-14] . He made his 100th appearance for Rangers in an SPL match against Hibernian in March 2008.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/7306430.stm|title=Rangers 2-1 Hibernian |publisher=BBC Sport website|date=March 22, 2008]

McGregor signed a new five year contract worth £5 million in June 2008. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/7477287.stm "McGregor extends stay at Rangers"] BBC Sport website (27 June 2008)] He captained the club for the first SPL match of the season against Falkirk due to the absences of Barry Ferguson, David Weir and Carlos Cuéllar. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/7548329.stm "Falkirk 0-1 Rangers"] BBC Sport website (9 August 2008)]

International career

On January 30 2007, ex-Rangers manager Alex McLeish named McGregor in his first squad as Scotland manager.cite news|url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/news.cfm?newsid=2647|publisher=Scottish FA website|title=McLeish names first Scotland squad|date=2007-01-30] He made his international debut against Austria on May 30 2007, playing the first half in goal before being substituted.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/6696543.stm|title=Austria 0-1 Scotland|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2007-05-30] McGregor is currently back up to first choice Scotland keeper Craig Gordon.

Rangers statistics

"Correct as of 31 August 2008"

Honours

With Rangers

References

External links

*soccerbase|id=16327|name=Allan McGregor
*SFA Profile|id=21265|name=Allan McGregor

Persondata
NAME=McGregor, Allan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Footballer
DATE OF BIRTH=January 31 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH=Edinburgh, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=