Rangers’ captain James Tavernier is a controversial figure amongst Rangers fans.
He was lauded at the beginning of the season, as he struck up an excellent partnership with Alfredo Morelos and the Gers were scoring for fun.
Recently, though, he has received a lot of criticism as the side are experiencing a difficult patch.
After the defeat to Rapid Vienna and the draw at Hibs in particular, there were calls on social media to strip the 27-year-old of the armband.
Yet, there is no suggestion that the coaching staff have any issue with the defender’s leadership.
He will lead the side out tomorrow afternoon at Ibrox, but the debate rumbles on.
After his comments in today’s pre-match press conference, fans expressed their contrasting opinions once more.
Some vented their frustration.
https://twitter.com/RangersFC2018/status/1078582599369527297
Yet, others took exception to those comments and chose to defend the skipper.
https://twitter.com/Chrixoffer/status/1078594698208559104
Verdict
Clearly, there are strong opinions on either side of the argument.
There is no doubt that Tavernier isn’t quite performing at the same level as he was earlier in the season. In terms of his contribution going forward anyway.
Yet, his stats are still incredible for a right-back.
With six goals and eight assists in the league, that’s a direct involvement in a third of Rangers’ 42 league goals.
He is clearly fatigued and the standard of his delivery has dipped in recent weeks. Yet, he still came up with quality in the dying embers of the game at St Johnstone, crossing for Morelos’ winner.
Tomorrow, as usual, the skipper’s performance will be influential. He will have his hands full defensively, but will also need to contribute further up the park.
If he can strike the right balance, Rangers have every chance of success.
