Rangers: Hugh Keevins defends James Tavernier as ‘absolutely terrible’ verdict dropped
Hugh Keevins leapt to the defence of James Tavernier after the Rangers captain was labelled “absolutely terrible” by a caller on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard.
Tavernier has regularly come in for criticism from Gers supporters, many believing his impressive attacking statistics are not enough to cloud his defensive shortcomings.
A caller named John called Tavernier “a serial loser” and “the worst full-back Rangers have had in years” on Friday’s (20 October) call-in show.
In response, Daily Record reporter Keevins said: “You can’t blame one man, one player, for a team that have won only one league, and only one other trophy, in the last 12 years.
“Tavernier’s numbers are terrific – the number of goals he scores and assists – and I think he represents the club well.
“For some reason, he becomes a whipping boy. I know the phrase ‘serial loser’ has been used about him before, but no one man wins you a trophy, and no one man loses you one.”
Harsh
There is undoubtedly a growing disconnect between this current crop of Rangers players and the supporters, which is understandable given results so far this season.
Even beyond the results, which can sometimes be excused, many feel the individual performance levels have been miles off what should be expected from a Gers player – and that is not excusable.
Tavernier has been a great servant for Rangers down the years, and that cannot be forgotten. To suggest he’s “a serial loser” is just plain harsh, although some others will no doubt agree with this caller’s view.
The 31-year-old is now into his ninth season at Ibrox, the first of those coming in the Scottish Championship. Any player who has played over 400 games for the Light Blues deserves some respect.
That is not to say he is devoid of any blame at all, but Tavernier is not the worst-performing player in this side.
Philippe Clement has already confirmed Tavernier will retain the captain’s armband, and hopefully he will get a chance to turn things around under his latest new manager.
In other Rangers news, Peter Martin has dropped a “10 months” prediction with regards to Clement’s Ibrox future.