Mark Warburton raves about Rangers skipper James Tavernier after Hall of Fame achievement
Mark Warburton has raved about James Tavernier who was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame last week.
Despite his immense contribution to the club, the decision appears to have caused a split among supporters.
Warburton, who is now Davie Moyes’ No.2 at West Ham, has hailed Tavervier as an “outstanding” player who has done a “tremendous” job at Rangers.
Tavernier has maintained an enviable consistency in the last few years, and Warburton says the 31-year-old right-back is a “manager’s dream”, and he truly deserves the honour.
“He’s earned his right to be up on that board in the marble staircase. How do you judge if a player’s earned the right to be on that board?,” said Warburton to The Daily Record (24 February, page 56).
“Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a tremendous achievement. When Tav came in, he was always low-maintenance, hardly every missed a match or training session. Just a manager’s dream.
“We always knew he was an outstanding crosser but he’s continued to show that quality down the years no matter the level.
“Rangers have been through a lot of managers since Davie Weir and I first joined the club and the fact is Tav’s still there, still one of the first names on the team sheet, tells you a lot.”
Debate
Tavernier is a fantastic player and probably deserves to be on the same list among the legends of the club.
He has been a symbol of consistency over the past few years, and his numbers speak for themselves. He has set a high standard for himself, with the number of goals and assists he has managed in recent years.
Also, Tavernier led the club to its 55th league title and thus deserves his place among the Ibrox legends. However, there are others who feel that two trophies in eight years do not justify such acclaim.
However, context is key here. Tavernier joined Rangers in 2015 at a time when the club was in deep trouble financially. He has been at the club through bad times and was a key component of the side that reached the Europa League final last season.
He took the armband from Lee Wallace in 2018 and reached a new level under Steven Gerrard.
Tavernier will be looking to pick up another trophy this weekend when the Gers face Celtic in the Viaplay Cup final at Hampden Park on Sunday (26 February).
In other Rangers news, Kenny Miller has questioned if the club need to make a marquee signing this summer.