Rangers legend Derek Johnstone has blasted fans for going too far in their criticism of James Tavernier, in his Glasgow Evening Times column.
Tavernier is under extreme scrutiny after three high profile mistakes in recent weeks have seen the Gers drop points on two occasions.
He made errors for both Young Boys goals last time out in the Europa League, while he also slipped up to allow Hearts to open the scoring at Tynecastle at the weekend.
The errors have led to mass calls for the defender to be stripped of the captaincy and to be dropped.
Yet, DJ is backing the skipper to pull through in the face of adversity.
Rangers legend Johnstone defends Tavernier
“Unfortunately for James, the errors he has made recently have been punished and been costly for Rangers,” wrote Johnstone in the Glasgow Evening Times. “But James will be the first one to put his hands up and say he should have done better in Bern or at Tynecastle. Mistakes happen.”
“You don’t become a bad player overnight and some of the criticism towards him has been over the top, unfair and unwarranted. It is easy for one player to quickly become the bad guy and the target but I am sure James has the character to block that out.
“There are more positives to James Tavernier than there are negatives and the manager and his team-mates will rightly have no doubts about him as he looks to regain a higher level of form.”
Verdict
Based on his latest comments [Express], it seems clear that Steven Gerrard will stick by his captain, an approach Johnstone clearly agrees with.
There’s an appreciation of the frustration of the fans and an assertion that Tav must improve a lot defensively. Yet, there’s also a recognition that the 27-year-old is a quality operator simply going through a wretched patch of form.
To me, that’s a fair take on what is a divisive topic. Rangers need high standards right now and the captain has dropped below what’s required in recent weeks.
He still has the trust of his manager, though, and the fans need to keep faith in him for a while longer. Hopefully, then, the performances will come.
Earlier in the week, we debated the backlash against Tavernier in a new video.
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