James Tavernier has hit back at criticism ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm, as quoted by the Evening Times.
Earlier in the week, John Hartson told the Scottish Sun that he believed Rangers got carried away after their Old Firm win in December.
Those three points took them to within touching distance of their biggest rivals.
However, since then, Celtic have gone unbeaten and indifferent form from the Gers has seen them drop to 10 points off the pace.
“I think it’s inaccurate to say we got carried away”, said Tavernier, as quoted by the
Evening Times.
“With any footballer or fan, if you win you are going to be happy.
“It’s one of those things. Celtic were celebrating when they beat us at the start of the season. It’s the same with us.
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“For a couple of the boys, it was more a weight off the shoulders. Players like myself and Andy Halliday, the lads who’d been here a while, to get that win as it had been a long time. It was a weight off. It’s your rival.”
There’s no doubt Rangers’ form nosedived after the winter break.
However, it’s highly unlikely that that was all due to getting carried away with the Old Firm win. It would be a major surprise if Steven Gerrard allowed complacency to creep into the dressing room.
Furthermore, if anyone was feeling a little too confident, that first game back against Killie would have put an abrupt stop to it.
The team’s failings are not due to overconfidence, but a lack of quality and ruthlessness, borne out by the stats.
