Rangers: Andy Halliday brands James Tavernier ‘one of the worst’ after Ibrox mistake
Andy Halliday has labelled Rangers captain James Tavernier as one of the worst professional footballers with his weak foot after his error led to Celtic’s opening goal at Ibrox.
Halliday claimed even Tavernier would admit that, and it was that lack of confidence on his weaker side which allowed Daizen Maeda to score the opening goal in the Old Firm.
The former Ibrox man urged the defender to simply pass the ball back to Jack Butland in goal rather than doing anything dramatic, as he questioned why he made that decision.
Speaking on the Open Goal podcast [9 April], Halliday shared: “That’s the real error, just pass it back to Jack Butland. You don’t need to do that.
“You know what I think of Tav, right, but he’s one of the worst professional football players with his weak foot, and he’d admit that himself.
“I think it’s one of those where because he’s not confident using his left foot, he’s tried to hook it around with his right.”
Andy Halliday fumes at James Tavernier after Rangers v Celtic
This explanation of his error makes it slightly more understandable, although it will still prove frustrating to everybody associated with Rangers at Ibrox given the timing and eventual result of the game after the incident.
Halliday is not the first to slam Tavernier after his performance either, after former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor labelled the captain “terrible”, insisting he would not get into a top-half team in the English Championship.
The overall performance was a huge disappointment at Ibrox despite the ultimately positive result thanks to a 93rd-minute Rabbi Matondo equaliser, but after going two goals down, criticism has to be levelled at the players.
The reaction towards Tavernier is understandable, he was at fault for what proved to be a key goal in the Old Firm at Ibrox, but now is the time to move on with a crucial clash with Dundee up next and the captain needing to return to his best form.
In other Rangers news, a new Connor Barron transfer update has emerged at Ibrox.
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