Jack Butland has vowed he is ready to get back to his best for Rangers, admitting his standards dipped last season.
The Ibrox number one saw a dramatic downturn in his form in the previous campaign, contributing to another disappointing season for the club.
Prior to that, he had been arguably their most reliable performer and the one player in the squad Philippe Clement had insisted was not for sale under his stewardship.
After a refreshing summer break, the 32-year-old insists he is ready to go again. That has already been on display during the 2-0 win over Panathinaikos, and supporters were back to singing his name.
Reflecting on that, Butland said: “It was good. I feel really refreshed, feel good, feel really positive about the season ahead. I had a really good summer, a lot of time to think about stuff, work on stuff, just to remind myself that I'm a good goalkeeper and I believe that I'm a top goalkeeper.
“Sometimes you can forget that when things get tough and you start to overthink. But I'm feeling in a great place, really looking forward to the season. I'm really happy to be able to help.
“That's what I hope [the fans] remember. I certainly feel that guy. I certainly know that they remember that guy that I was at times last year.
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“There were also some times where I wasn't at the levels I needed to be. It was not for the lack of trying and not for the effort that I put in on the training pitch. I just had a difficult moment. And when you have a difficult moment here, at a club like this, it can be compounded.
“And I completely understand at times the frustration of the fans because the expectations of me are so high. My expectations of me are so high, which is why probably those moments felt a lot worse. But listen, they make you stronger.”
The Greeks need to go for goals for the second leg in Athens. Butland expects nothing less but says Rangers have a plan to combat that.
“Yeah, they will and they need to," he added. "Like I said, a lot of the work we've done is off the ball as well. We're going to have to be on it, off the ball, press them into difficult areas and do what we need to do.
“We were in St George's a few weeks back, it wasn't quite 40 degrees but it was hot enough.
“You know, we're not far off our holidays so the boys have had some heat in recent weeks so it shouldn't be too much of a test and we're certainly not going to use that as a concern.
“It's going to be difficult for both sides. Of course, as we do, we travel over there, we take our fans with us and we try and make a difference.”
