James Tavernier unhappy with Rangers form, admits consistency issue
By Adwaidh Rajan
Steven Gerrard’s Rangers have had a difficult couple of weeks in the Scottish Premiership with them being held to a 2-2 draw by Aberdeen at Ibrox in their most recent fixture on Wednesday.
Gerrard’s men have dropped points in two of their last three league games as they were also held to a 1-1 draw at home by Hearts on October 16.
On an emotional Wednesday when the club paid its tribute to the late Walter Smith, Rangers were stunned as the visiting Aberdeen raced to a 2-0 lead inside the first 16 minutes. Alfredo Morelos pulled one back for the hosts in the 20th minute before captain James Tavernier converted from the penalty spot in the 81st minute to rescue a point for the reigning champions.
However, speaking after the game, Tavernier did not hide his displeasure at his side’s recent toils at the Ibrox. “If we are to compete for the league and keep our title, we have got to make this a fortress and not drop any points,” the Rangers skipper said (via Daily Record).
“It has just not been good enough in the games we have had at home. From start to finish, there have been spells in the games but we have not had consistency,” the 29-year-old admitted.
Should Gerrard and Rangers be worried?
Despite their early-season troubles, Rangers still sit top of the Premiership table with 24 points from 11 matches. Their closest challengers are archrivals Celtic who sit two points behind while Hearts and Dundee United follow suit with 21 points apiece.
Gerrard’s side have won seven league games this season while drawing three and losing one. Though those stats do not raise any immediate alarm, it has to be remembered that this is a team that remained unbeaten in the league last season on their way to the title with a 102-point haul.
The Gers had conceded just 13 goals in 38 matches during the 2020-21 season, but they have already shipped 10 from 11 games this time around. So, it is only evident that things are not going all well with the Rangers during the new season.
But with both Gerrard and Tavernier acknowledging the issue and rallying the troops following the stalemate against Aberdeen, expect to see some reaction from the Rangers squad when they take on Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.
In other Rangers news, Michael Stewart has dropped a mysterious tweet about his future at the BBC.