Rangers fans just cannot accept what Philippe Clement had to say about captain James Tavernier at his pre-Dundee United press conference.
The Belgian defended the right-back after a tough two weeks of abuse following the harrowing Old Firm defeat to Celtic at Parkhead.
Tavernier was blasted by raging supporters at Ibrox when the players returned from the east end of Glasgow and of course, the abuse continued on social media in the days after.
Clement responded to the heavy criticism directed towards Turkey-linked Tavernier and said his captain has been undertaking his duties as normal and hasn’t acted any differently in training.
Clement defends Rangers skipper Tavernier
The Rangers manager told the press: “It’s a thing of society, it’s not just a Rangers thing but all over the world. The captain and the manager are symbols of that and they get the most stick, that’s part of our job and lives.
“Is it a nice thing or a thing that you love? No, totally not. But it’s the world we live in.”
Asked if Tavernier needs to have real mental strength in these situations, Clement replied: “Yes but otherwise you’re not ready to be captain of a club.
“It’s easy to be captain in the moments that you win or when everything goes really well. The real captains are the ones who stand in front of the ship and keep everything in a good way when things are difficult.
“So that’s what he has been doing. He’s been focusing on himself, the team and training really hard. He played in this Motherwell game, helping the new guys with integration and helping the young guys. So I didn’t see a difference in Tav.”
Rangers fans react to Clement on Tavernier
The manager’s comments did not go down well on X, formerly known as Twitter. Rangers fans flocked to the press conference posts and reacted vehemently to this one in particular:
One punter posted in response: “‘Driving forward the team’ we’re 4th and got pumped by celtic”.
While another said: “Another manager who will see himself sacked over defending and playing James Tavernier”.
This Rangers supporter wrote: “Tavernier has literally been doing the exact opposite he’s the one holding us back and losing us games.”
And this user made his feelings clear: “Bs. He’s been taking pot shots at fans, collecting his 30+K with minimal effort.”
This fan posted: “Driving the team forward my arse , hes going to get you the sack , hes the weakest link in the team and yet you cant see it , dont let the door hit you on the way out when your gone”.
While someone else said: “Really let down by this. Clement isn’t going to drop Tav, and it’s ultimately gonna cost him his job”.
And this unhappy punter simply replied: “Clement out.”
