Kevin Kyle savages Rangers first teamer who ‘gets away with murder’
Former Rangers striker Kevin Kyle has claimed that James Tavernier is costing Steven Gerrard’s side matches, and should be stripped of the captaincy.
The ex-Ibrox hitman went as far as to suggest that the skipper is getting “away with murder” in Glasgow, and questioned why other, more experienced members of the Gers’ squad were not given the armband.
Tavernier has made 43 appearances for the Light Blues so far this term, and while Kyle admitted that he is a talented player, the pundit did take aim at his current form.
Speaking during the Keeping the Ball on the Ground Podcast, he said:
“Tavernier gets away with murder. He’s costing them games.
“He’s cost them a lot of points over the few seasons I’ve watched him. Him and [Connor] Goldson get away with murder.
“Should he be captain? No. Why is he the captain? What has he achieved in his football career that merits him being the captain of Rangers?
“Steven Davis, Allan McGregor have won trophies and league titles with Rangers. They’ve gone down south and had wonderful footballing careers and come back. They’re the types of people that people look up to, they want to listen to what they’ve got to say.
“Do you think someone’s wanting to listen to wee Tavernier?
“I just don’t get it. Take the captaincy off him.
“For a while, he stopped taking free-kicks and corners, maybe that relieved a wee bit of pressure from him.
“Maybe take the captain’s armband off him and let him continue to try and play football because he’s not a bad footballer. They’re just going through a bad time.”
Does Kyle have a point?
These comments seem a bit excessive, truth be told.
Sure, Tavernier might not be hitting his usual heights for the Gers, but honestly, at this present moment in time, who actually is?
Looking at the stats, it’s clear to see that the skipper is operating at a decent enough level.
So far this season he has managed an average of 89.51 successful actions per match, as per Wyscout, as well as 5.57 accurate crosses and 4.57 successful dribbles.
The Gers are underperforming, no two ways about, but to blame it entirely on the skipper is not only reductionist, it’s nonsensical too.
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