THE problem was kicked down the road last summer. Come the end of the campaign, it must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst opted not to sign a goalkeeper but Michael Beale now has no option but to do so. He will need at least one, probably two or perhaps even three as his squad takes shape ahead of his first full campaign in charge.

Beale vowed during the January transfer window that he would only sign players who would improve the starting eleven and the deals for Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin were examples of him sticking to that message. More general work will need done to freshen the squad next time out but the keeper position in a non-negotiable in terms of what is required.

Beale will be picking a new number one next term. If that is not Robby McCrorie then the youth graduate will surely head for the exit door and go and kick-start his career elsewhere rather than play second fiddle to an incoming custodian.

Allan McGregor's time is nearly up and his glittering career is coming to an end. Jon McLaughlin still has years left in him but they are not as first choice at Ibrox and time will tell whether he sees out the final 12 months of his contract or not.

There is a sense that Rangers fudged the keeper situation last summer. McGregor unwittingly undermined McLaughlin when he decided - just weeks after what looked like a Hampden farewell - to sign another deal and the discovered that he wouldn't be first choice under Van Bronckhorst.

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McLaughlin failed to convince or recover from the successive 4-0 defeats to Celtic and Ajax and McGregor replaced him just weeks after being deemed to be the second pick. At the same time, McCrorie looked on and felt marginalised after being denied the chance to move up the pecking order.

Rather than recruiting a new keeper that could lay claim to the jersey for several seasons to come, Rangers tried to get by for one last term. It hasn't worked out and the decisions made last summer still have ramifications now as Beale attempts to muddle through the final months of the campaign before properly rectifying the problem.

The solution will come in the transfer market. Rangers have a remarkable track record when it comes to keepers and the next man that follows in the footsteps of the likes of McGregor, Stefan Klos and Andy Goram must have the quality and the character required for such a position.

The uncertainty over the future and the chopping and changing in the here and now is damaging Rangers. Beale can only play the hand that he has been dealt and he has done well to keep everyone in his squad engaged mentally and in shape physically to ensure Rangers get to the summer with something to build on in the longer term.

Beale spoke about the 'noise' surrounding the goalies in the aftermath of the victory over Kilmarnock last month. In the same media conference he seemed to point to this season being the final one that McGregor will play, stating that the veteran 'is of an age where he’s thinking about coming nearer to the end' as he referenced his contract that is once again ticking down.

The weeks since then saw the volume levels turned down slightly but the decibels have risen once again in the aftermath of the win at home to Ross County on Saturday. The debate will not go away now and the conversations over decisions made in the past and the present will continue until decisive action is taken at the end of the campaign.

When Beale pitched McLaughlin in out of the blue for the Premiership fixture at Tannadice, he cited the 35-year-old's abilities at dead balls and set-pieces as reasons for the call to put him in ahead of McGregor. It was the sort of game, Beale reckoned, where that skillset would be needed.

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In the end, the 90 minutes didn't turn out as planned. Quickfire goals from Fashion Sakala and Malik Tillman won it for Rangers and McLaughlin, relatively untroubled throughout, had another clean sheet to add to the one he got in Dingwall a fortnight earlier after McGregor was ruled out through illness.

It was McGregor that got the nod against Aberdeen the following week but Beale then changed again at Rugby Park. The theory about McLaughlin being more commanding was again in mind but he was unconvincing in that regard and caught out as Chris Stokes gave Kilmarnock a lead that Rangers were able to overturn.

And so we come - after McGregor kept two clean sheets against St Johnstone and one away to Hearts - to the visit of the Staggies. Beale stated that McLaughlin looked the 'fresher' of the keepers after McGregor's exertions at Tynecastle and the man that is still regarded as first choice took a seat on the bench.

No damage was done as Tillman and Borna Barisic ensured Beale's unbeaten run was extended but McLaughlin again did little to stake a claim for a prolonged run in the side. As Jordan White headed home to bring County level, McLaughlin was left flailing as he came for a cross and got nowhere near it and his head rested on the turf as his mistake registered in his mind.

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It was a tenth Premiership goal conceded in as many matches for McLaughlin. By comparison, McGregor has lost 13 in 15 appearances and has six clean sheets, one more than his counterpart, from a difficult league campaign where neither man has impressed consistently.

Beale was never going to castigate his keeper at the weekend. He called the concession of the goal 'lousy' but pointed to the fact that his side had reacted slowly to a short corner and he questioned the roles of his defenders as County were given a lifeline that ultimately proved futile.

His manager chose not the point the finger of blame at McLaughlin but events on Saturday continue to feed the narrative and supporters will be expecting decisive action to be taken 12 months after what has proven to be the wrong calls were made.

McGregor, now closing in on 500 appearances for the club, will rightly be lauded for his years of service and his place amongst the pantheon of greats is enshrined. McLaughlin, meanwhile, should be thanked for his efforts over three seasons and wished well.

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For McCrorie, the ankle ligament injury that will sideline him for at least another three weeks has come at the wrong time and being involved in only a quarter of the training sessions, never mind the matchday squads, hasn't exactly given him the chance to prove himself just months after agreeing a new long-term contract.

Beale will determine soon enough whether McCrore is the heir to the McGregor throne. The court of public opinion has already ruled that McLaughlin is not and the keeper situation will go some way to defining Beale's first full term in charge, and indeed the coming years.

The process of returning Rangers to number one in the Premiership will start with a new number one being recruited. The position and the process simply must be a priority at Ibrox.