Chris Sutton has hit out at James Tavernier after the Rangers captain walked out of his own Ibrox farewell presentation.
The 34-year-old’s time at the Govan club is ending in controversy, as he angrily left the stadium after learning he had been left on the bench for the final home game of the season against Hibernian.
Tavernier eventually returned to the Ibrox pitch to accept the presentation from John Greig, but did not feature in the matchday squad at all, with Rangers going on to lose 2-1, their fourth consecutive defeat.
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He did not start Tavernier in his final Ibrox game…
Tavernier threw his toys out of the pram, says Sutton
Danny Rohl has since claimed that he was surprised by the right-back’s behaviour, as the plan was always to bring him on as a substitute due to fitness concerns.
However, the German tactician has been the subject of heavy criticism from fans and pundits, including Gabby Agbonlahor on talkSPORT.
Now, Sutton has waded into the controversy, claiming Tavernier “threw his toys out of the pram” after being left out of the starting line-up.
He questioned whether the outgoing captain’s behaviour was befitting of someone who had worn the armband at Ibrox.
In Sutton’s view, Tavernier’s behaviour on Wednesday proved him right about suspicions he has always had about the Rangers icon.
Speaking on The Warm-Up, he said: “First of all, I was right about Tavernier. We saw his behaviour last night. Is that the way a club captain should behave?
“The manager didn’t pick up, so he threw his toys out of the pram, and what did he do, rock up just before the game. Didn’t he clear off after a few minutes into the game?”
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Rohl and Tavernier are at fault for Rangers bust-up
In Rohl’s defence, he is the manager and his decision should be final.
It is true that Rangers have nothing else to play for at this stage, but the German was under immense pressure after losing three games on the bounce.
One cannot fault the 37-year-old for wanting to be bold and make a statement just days after he received support from Andrew Cavenagh.
However, in hindsight, the decision backfired, with the Gers taking their losing streak to four games.
Had Tavernier started the game as expected and the Govan club lost the match, the fans would have called for Rohl to be sacked anyway.
Meanwhile, it is also easy to understand why Tavernier was disappointed not to start.
That does not mean he can be excused for walking out of the stadium altogether.
