Sunday saw a very impressive Rangers dispatch Hibs at Ibrox.
The 6-1 scoreline didn’t flatter the hosts, far from it. But for a few fine saves from Marciano, it could have been a lot more.
The bulk of the scoring was done by the strikers. Jermain Defoe claimed an excellent hat-trick, while Alfredo Morelos emerged from the bench to net a brace.
However, there were multiple other strong performances on the day. Jordan Jones and Sheyi Ojo impressed out wide, while Steven Gerrard highlighted the efforts of Steven Davis and Joe Aribo in the middle [RangersTV].
Another, who was once again influential, was James Tavernier.
The skipper didn’t have his best game at Rugby Park last weekend. Yet, he still managed to set up both goals with superb deliveries from corners.
He followed that up with an outstanding showing against Midtjylland on Thursday, but showed no signs of fatigue on his return to league action. As usual, Tav worked tirelessly up and down the right side, defending competently when called upon and bringing significant threat in the final third.
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He was unlucky not to nab his first goal of the season, but he linked up attacks well and loves driving at the opposition.
Last season, the skipper was often the scapegoat when things went wrong. As a figurehead, it’s natural for the captain to receive more blame than his teammates.
Yet, Tav faced an unreasonable amount of criticism for a player so crucial to all things good with Steven Gerrard’s side.
Finally, though it looks as though the boo-boys may be backing off. There will be peaks and troughs throughout the season and time will tell whether or not this sentiment lasts.
However, he was widely praised after last Sunday’s win over Killie, and his tweet following the hammering of Hibs was met with similar affection.
Maybe, just maybe, Tav is beginning to receive the full backing of the Rangers supporters.
Here’s a selection of responses to the captain’s post-match tweet:
https://twitter.com/thomo7483/status/1160634127776997377
https://twitter.com/StaunchA/status/1160637846455226368
https://twitter.com/ColinGreig2/status/1160620914091929605
