James Tavernier torn to shreds over Rangers ‘disaster’ in footage v Motherwell
Rangers have come under criticism from Michael Stewart and Steven Thompson after a 2-1 defeat against Motherwell in Scottish Premiership action on Saturday.
One goal from Cyriel Dessers is all that the Gers could muster up on 1 March which was not enough to overcome being 2-0 down after 30 minutes of the game.
This leaves the Light Blues sitting 16 points away from Celtic at the top of the table with interim manager Barry Ferguson no doubt wondering where he goes from here.
Tavernier poor in Rangers loss
While it wasn’t expected that Rangers would completely reinvent themselves after the departure of Philippe Clement as manager, there was the possibility that the Gers would show some better form with a new boss.
However, another loss, this time at the hands of Motherwell shows there is still plenty of work to be done at Ibrox if things are going to take a turn for the better going forward.
Although it could have been an afternoon of celebration for Tavernier on his 500th appearance for Rangers, the result and his performance specifically no doubt put a dampener on any celebrations.
In the build-up to Motherwell’s second goal, the experienced defender was guilty of giving away the ball far too easily which then gave the opposition the space and opportunity to get forward and score.
Analysing the game on Sportscene (1 March), Thompson made a frank observation as he said: “Second goal, pretty much another defensive disaster really. But this is really poor for Rangers isn’t it?”
Stewart was quick to agree, focusing on the Gers captain specifically as he said: “Yeah. Look, they’re architects of their own downfall here. Tavernier with a poor, lack in concentration ball.”
Rangers need major turnaround
It certainly hasn’t been an easy season in Glasgow but the players have to take some responsibility as well as the old manager, especially those senior men like Tavernier who just have to be performing at a higher level.
| Appearnces | 24 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 6 |
| Passing accuracy | 79.8% |
| Tackles won | 68% |
| Duels won | 57.8% |
| Recoveries | 111 |
You have to feel for interim boss Barry Ferguson a bit as he has definitely got a very big job on his hands trying to improve things at Ibrox this term and that is only set to increase with Europa League action up next.
The only area where Rangers still have anything to play for is in Europe with the title race well and truly over and having been knocked out of the domestic cups so there is pressure to perform.
There have been questions over whether Ferguson is the right man to guide the Rangers to European success this term but it cannot be underestimated how important it is, regardless of the manager’s experience.
This means that, despite a tough day against Motherwell, players like Tavernier have no excuse not to step up and use their experience to see them and their side through.
There’s a reason the captain has been able to rack up 500 appearances but he has to make sure he shows supporters the reason why too and helps bring some pride back to his Rangers team.