No Ibrox captain has watched Celtic lift so many trophies, not even John Greig when the Lisbon Lions and their successors made his life a misery.
When Mark Warburton splashed out £200,000 to take a utility player from Wigan Athletic no one at Celtic could have guessed at the successes he was about to witness.
In the summer of 2015 Celtic had won 98 trophies, if a deal is struck with Trabzonspor James Tavernier will leave Glasgow with the hoops sitting on 118 trophies, one away from a ‘world record’.
Five trebles have been won on Tav’s watch with the second best footballer in the household wearing the armband.
Two of his last four matches were defeats to Celtic as trophies 117 and 118 were chalked up, now it looks like the legend that is Tavpen is leaving in the close season for an emotional reunion with John Lundstram and Borna Barisic at Trabzonspor. All three are expected in the English Championship in January.
News that the serial loser could finally be leaving has been greeted with joy online by angry bears, it could be the outcome that retains the Close Season Cup but the wise old owl that is Jonny McFarlane sees things differently, disagreeing with his sidekick Stevie Clifford from Fourlads.
25 goal contributions in 33 league games last season.
Maybe it’s time, but I’d be careful for what you wish for.
He’s been a brilliant player for Rangers and a poor final three months shouldn’t cloud minds. https://t.co/ofEfVE8hYa
— Jonny McFarlane (@jonnyrmcfarlane) July 18, 2024
The Head of Sport at Newsquest is famed for his alternative viewpoints. Barrie McKay is more talented that Kieran Tierney, James Sands is the American Franco Baresi and the classic from two years ago that Tavepen is more successful and influential than Callum McGregor.
With those sort of views circulation of The Herald and Glasgow Times barely reaches 15,000 with the digital subscription model sitting on similar figures.
Last month McFarlane and one of his mates from the Rangers Review awarded themselves a trip to the European Championships, most podcasts struggled to reach three figures in terms of You Tube viewers. That sort of success rate possibly explains his admiration for his club captain.
As the Tav tributes are prepared it is worth remembering that in 56 Celtic appearances Alistair Johnston has won 66% more trophies than the departing legend, Oh Hyeon-gyu left for Genk last week with more winners medals than Captain Disappointed will pack off to Turkey.
I’m not going to judge a career on a three month spell in an average team.
Let’s see how you feel about those stats going missing in November.
— Jonny McFarlane (@jonnyrmcfarlane) July 18, 2024
It’s a team game ffs. It’s not down to him.
— Jonny McFarlane (@jonnyrmcfarlane) July 18, 2024
Exactly,he takes the penalties,free kicks,goal kicks, throw ins so cos he does all that he’s to tired to defend.
He needs to go & so does Goldson.
Things arn’t working , we can’t keep holding on we need massive changes & I’m sorry but he’s part of the rout.— Man Fron Del Monte (@buddymk11) July 18, 2024
It’s a team game but he has to take every corner even though we never score from them every free kick.
I’m not saying he didn’t have his moments but it’s time to move on. We have a replacement in Sterling and getting money from players has been our problem recently
— Greig Stanners (@stanners101088) July 18, 2024
Careful for what we wish for? Yeah I wish for a proper leader/captain on the pitch who can do first most in his position, defend! Yes his contribution in assists & goals is phenomenal but we need to move past relying on a defender whom can’t defend and is past his peak.
— snake plissken (@frankdr49326393) July 18, 2024
What about getting a full back in that can actually defend…then some other players up front that score goals!!
You know like most other teams— Thomas Doyle (@tomdoyle75) July 18, 2024
But how much are they willing to pay for him? Maybe when they find out the transfer fee they will want to keep him after all.
£10M according tae the Daily Ranjerk lol! They wid PUNT the Tea Lady if they could.. Good Auld Skinto FC WHAHAHAHAHA!!
McFarlane got pumped from the daily Record after being head copy boy / goffer , to being head of sport at Newsquest practically overnight …now there’s ambition and forward thinking for you ,eh !
His goal tally is a result of corrupt refereeing and I think deep down the Sevco fans know this and that is why it doesn’t count when they are assessing him. Still he guarantees them 20 goals a season as we will still have the same refs and he is a great crosser of the ball.
Don’t know what they are moaning about.
My wife and I are very partial to some local Turkish restaurants’ fayre, you know, kebabs, slow-cooked lamb etc.
Dependent on cooking methods/sauces it’s not always evident exactly what you’re eating from chicken to pork etc. other than you know what you’ve ordered and all of it tastes so good you just eat it.
The Turks are fukkin crazy about their football.
All Chefs are known for being, let’s just say, temperamental. Add Turk to chef and you’re talking fukkin nitro-glycerine.
The Turkish league where the ‘three amigos’ from Ibrox will be playing kicks off around mid-August. Give it a few weeks until those serial losers are found out by Trabzonspor-supporting Turkish chefs and JEEPERS!
All I’m saying is we won’t be visiting any Turkish restaurants or take-aways from September until around Xmas! 🙂
It doesn’t augur well. I mean, the waiter asks “and how would you like your Lundstrum, sorry I meant pork, done sir?”
“Cremated please, and I’ll have the lamb instead if that’s okay?”
sevco despots, pisspots and losers. Just exactly why do they bother?