Billy Dodds has launched a savage attack on James Tavernier claiming that he’s not worthy of the Ibrox captaincy.
The Blue Cafu was signed from Wigan Athletic by Mark Warburton and played a lead role in the 2015/16 double of Petrofac Cup and winning The Championship.
Since reaching the top flight Tav has watched Celtic win 10 successive trophies with Chris Sutton dubbing the full-back a serial loser.
That comment came in the build up to the League Cup Final where Tav handed the ball to an out of form Alfredo Morelos to take a penalty. Fraser Foster again defied the Colombian by saving his penalty kick.
When Steven Gerrard’s side were knocked out the Scottish Cup by Hearts it was from another error by the skipper with Dodds feeling that it’s time for a change of scenery.
He told the Glasgow Times:
People keep thinking I’m having a go at James Tavernier, he’s been there through all the lower leagues and there’s a mistake continuously thrown in. Now everybody makes mistakes but these are big ones. But he’s made four or five a season that have cost Rangers big games. Against Hearts in the cup, even in Europe when they faced Young Boys it didn’t cost them but it is continuous.
He’s had a tough time this season because he has lost confidence and his manager had to stick by him. Gerrard has shown some loyalty to these players, but they are eventually costing him the title.
Tavernier is a good player, but I don’t think he is as brilliant as he thinks. Is he a captain? I’ll base him on Arthur Numan who was a standard setter. For me James Tavernier isn’t. People argue captains are different because on the park they can lead by example and they don’t have to shout. Arthur Numan led by example and didn’t shout. For me Tavernier doesn’t lead by example and he doesn’t really talk through a game.
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In September 2018 Tav signed a contract keeping him at Ibrox until June 2022.
