Joe Roberts

Sun 6 August 2023 18:10, UK

Michael Beale must have words with James Tavernier after the Rangers captain ran the width of the pitch to take a thrown-in from John Lundstram.

Slowing the game down significantly and removing any Rangers momentum, Tavernier stopped Lundstram from taking the throw-in while Rangers were drawing 0-0 against Kilmarnock on Saturday (5 August).

The action was met with criticism online, especially given the Gers went on to lose their league opener 1-0 after a poor performance.

Beale must talk to his captain. Whether Tavernier was motivated by thinking he is a better thrown-in taker than his teammate or whether his leadership role in the team got the better of him, it did nothing to benefit the state of play with the resulting move ending up with Jack Butland in goal.

Running such a distance for such an unnecessary and futile reason did not gel well with Rangers fans and would have likely disappointed Beale as it does not set a great example of how a captain should act.

The club have come into a lot of criticism since their loss, with many fearing that despite an active transfer window perhaps they are not in a position to challenge title holders Celtic this season.

Gers legend Kris Boyd said on Sky Sports that Beale may already be getting hot around the colour following the defeat. He said: “Beale is now under pressure, you know what happens when you lose a game for Rangers, you saw the fans at the end, they were not happy.”

While it is still very early in the season, actions like Tavernier’s here do not help his case and perhaps show a lack of organisation within the squad and only add fuel to the fire of a Rangers crisis.

Beale needs to iron out these issues as soon as possible to not only take the pressure off himself but also on his players. There are a lot of expectations for Rangers this season from the fans but also the board who have heavily invested in Beale’s vision and supported him with eight signings so far including Danilo, Cyriel Dessers and Abdallah Sima.

They are expected to compete on all fronts and challenge Celtic to the title, while a run in Europe would also be expected considering the amount spent on incomings.

So such actions as Tavernier’s must stop. Rangers will look to bounce back from this defeat and continue the season in better form, but Beale must ensure that players remain measured and confident, otherwise their season could spiral.

However, Tavernier is a hero of Rangers’ recent history, so fans could easily forgive him after this if he can help the club get back on form.

In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has shared his Rangers verdict following their opening-day defeat against Kilmarnock.