Rangers captain James Tavernier is already regretting today’s dropped points at Livingston.
Speaking to Rangers TV after the 1-0 defeat at the Toni Macaroni Arena, Tavernier was as deflated as he’s ever looked. A dreadful display saw Rangers leave Livingston with no less than they deserved in a woeful team performance.
Tavernier was quick to acknowledge how poor a performance it was, but it was the dropped points that were at the forefront of his mind. Rangers now sit in sixth place and have yet to win an away match all season in the Premiership.
Gers stalwart Tavernier has stated it’s the kind of result he’ll look back on and regret.
“It’s a dropped three points. Just like last season, these are the games you look back on. These are big points dropped.
“You can’t come to places like Livingston and drop three points.
“We’ve been terrific in certain weeks, but we’ve got to continue that. You have to keep that momentum going. Yet today, in the final third, we weren’t good enough didn’t test Liam Kelly enough.
“We kept good possession but did nothing with it. The fans turned out in their numbers and we haven’t put in a performance to back it up.”
A missed opportunity
Tavernier wasn’t exactly terrific today, but he has every right to call out his team-mates. This was a shocking team display, and the kind of result that will cost you at the end of the season.
The Gers captain has certainly had plenty of experience when it comes to dreadful away results. He’s been part of many in the last few years, and this is just his latest one.
That’s not to say that Tavernier was a big part of today’s lost. In truth, not the goal or any of Livingston’s threats came down his side. He did his job fairly well as a full-back and dealt with anything that came his way.
Going forward, however, he wasn’t in the game whatsoever. Many Rangers fans would’ve invisioned him bombing down the right and linking up with Daniel Candeias. Instead, he failed to really get into the game or put any telling deliveries into the box.
At the moment, Tavernier is a big part of the Rangers forward’s supply-line. He’s tasked with getting down that right-hand side and whipping crosses into the box. Today, he failed to do that whilst looking solid enough defensively.
What he’s stated about looking back and regretting this result is spot-on, however. It’s only Gerrard’s second defeat in 18 matches as manager, which is an impressive stat. The fact is, however, that Rangers sit in sixth place and looking up at their rivals.
In order for that to change, much improvement will be needed from today’s ridiculous display. And if Tavernier is to add some tangible silverware to his long-term tenure at Ibrox, he’ll also need to improve.
