James Tavernier Rangers exit ‘now inevitable’ after ‘Catastrophic’ development

James Tavernier Rangers exit ‘now inevitable’ after ‘Catastrophic’ development

James Tavernier is a bit of a mystery at Rangers.

The captain is approaching 500 appearances, having scored over 100 goals for the club as a right-back, and will have spent ten years at Ibrox by July.

 

Tavernier has been a tremendous servant to Rangers, without a doubt, but his name has been synonymous with the club’s dismal performance over the last decade.

 

The 33-year-old has only won three major titles in his tenure at Ibrox, a disappointing return for a club with such rich heritage, which is now again under the shadow of its great rivals Celtic.

 

Rangers’ 1-0 loss to Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup was a perfect microcosm of Tavernier’s Gers career, summed up by his last-gasp penalty miss that may have saved his team’s and Philippe Clement’s skin.

 

Rangers will undoubtedly sell James Tavernier this summer.

A report in the Daily Mail’s Rangers Confidential section (13 February) summarized the head-in-hands moment: “The catastrophic cost of that miss on Sunday has exposed him to the worst of the criticism from supporters, many of whom had already argued that his time was up.”

And therein lays the essence of the truth.

 

Many Gers fans have determined beyond reason that Tavernier’s time is done, and as harsh as it may sound, it is difficult to deny that this is the truth currently.

 

Tavernier has a contract with Rangers until 2026, but after being linked with a move last summer, it seems likely that he will leave at the conclusion of the season after a decade of service.

 

Tavernier is a victim of Rangers’ off-field decision-making.

History will show that Tavernier had the best years of his career with Rangers, as well as the incredible number of goals he scored from defence.

 

However, the nagging thought remains that there could have been more. This is not a direct criticism of him, but rather a result of the club’s bad decision-making, particularly after Steven Gerrard’s title triumph in 2021.

 

That 55th crown should have sparked a continuous run of prosperity, but mediocrity has since become the norm.

 

Rangers must break ways with Tavernier because of his emotional connection, whether right or bad.