Rangers: Philippe Clement told to strip James Tavernier of Ibrox captaincy after Ross County clash
Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been told to strip James Tavernier of the Gers’ captaincy next season by Mark Guidi.
The Englishman and his side suffered a massive blow to their Premiership title hopes this season as they were well beaten 3-2 by Ross County on Sunday (14 April) with Tavernier’s late penalty proving to be just a consolation.
While the 32-year-old has been in excellent form this season, scoring 17 goals in the league, Sunday Mail’s chief football writer Guidi has admitted that he doesn’t think the right-back is “cut out” to lead the group at Ibrox anymore.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show (15 April, 18:30) he said: “I said last Monday, whether Rangers are the champions or not, the manager is going to have to be ruthless and for me, that Rangers defence is not good enough
“I’d be very tempted to look at James Tavernier and I’d be very tempted to say, is he my captain next season? I would really be having that under the microscope. I don’t mean that as a punishment, I’m looking at him and he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“I’m not sure he’s cut out for it to be honest with you and I think you might get better out of him if he’s not the captain.”
Will Ranger sell James Tavernier if they miss out on the Premiership title to Celtic?
The pressure is certainly growing at Ibrox currently and while the Gers’ wobble in the title race isn’t entirely Tavernier’s fault, his position as the Light Blues captain means that he is always going to come under the most scrutiny.
As previously mentioned, the Englishman has been in great individual form going forward, but he has been branded with the tag of a serial loser over the last few years and the pressure of the captaincy seems to be weighing him down.
His error in the Old Firm derby at Ibrox was a complete moment of madness and it is clear his energy is wearing thin. It could well be best for all parties if he takes a step back and somebody else takes on the armband.
That doesn’t mean Clement has to sell the 32-year-old this summer, especially as it is clear he still has plenty to offer Rangers in the long run, but his time as skipper may have reached its obvious conclusion.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has fired a new “moral victory” jibe at Clement following the Gers’ defeat to Ross County
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