James Tavernier and his future at Ibrox without £16M Patto

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James Tavernier and his future at Ibrox without £16M Patto
St Johnstone v Rangers - Scottish Premiership - McDiarmid Park Rangers Captain James Tavernier left is substituted off the pitch for teammate Nathan Patterson right during the Scottish Premiership match at McDiarmid Park, Perth. Picture date: Wednesday April 21, 2021. Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRobxCaseyx 59324818

With Nathan Patterson’s exit, a small question from many fans is where it leaves club captain James Tavernier.

Many would argue Patterson’s emergence from the Academy was a major factor in Tavernier’s increase in form, both this season and last, with otherwise sketchy displays which somewhat divided fans over his merits.

With Patterson as understudy, there was a feeling the captain had a threat to his position, and while Patto wasn’t getting the jersey just yet, he would, soon, and the current number one was under pressure to keep his displays at their best.

That pressure is gone now.

Tavernier now has no real competition for his shirt, and we must only hope that he doesn’t return to complacency without a rival for the starting berth.

What are the chances of this?

Truthfully, they’re not small. Tav has only ever really delivered good consistent form when he’s been rivalled by a worthy competitor. The last one he had was Lee Hodson, and the Irishman’s career since Rangers hints at why he wasn’t up to it.

So Patto has been the man to get the best from Tav, and with him now gone, Rangers really need to sign someone worthy of the jersey, of pushing the captain.

Because his track record without competition isn’t the best. Those stats this season and last have been great, but they’ve seen a fantastic Patterson as alternative.

With him gone, the captain could slip back into old habits.

We hope to be misjudging him, and that he will retain his present form.

Because there’s now no one to take his jersey.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. I presume by Tavernier’s improved form you mean his better defending. I think that can be put down to him staying at home a bit more and actually playing as a right back rather than a rampaging right winger. The downside of that is we have lost some of his attacking attributes but at the end of the day he is employed as a defender. I always defended his “poor defending” on the basis that he was being asked to get forward and that tactically we were set up to accommodate that mostly by Ryan Jack plugging the gaps. The same can be true of Barisic.
    The question is would you rather stick with the attacking instincts of Tavernier and Barisic being clipped or go for out and out defending no nonsense right backs.

  2. I think Tav will be pushed by both Balogun and the new man Sands . GVB knows what he wants as Robrob57 says he wants defensive cover first and foremost .

  3. The decision to let our best asset for the future let go will come back to bite us the just look at 16 million and can’t pass that up money comes first with this board another young one they let go Billy Gilmour languishing in a lower class’of team they should get him back forthwith Chelsea don’t want him we do.

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