Former Rangers captain urges James Tavernier to bounce back from fan criticism amid interest from Turkish club

On 1 September, Rangers endured an afternoon to forget as they fell to a demoralising 3-0 derby day defeat to reigning champions Celtic.

The Light Blues were second best in almost every department at Parkhead in a result which already casts doubt about the team’s potential to push for the title under Philippe Clement.

The international break has left Rangers with plenty of time to reflect on their setback and one player in particular that will be feeling the pain at this moment in time is club captain James Tavernier, who was heavily criticised by some supporters after the defeat.

Tavernier has been the subject of rampant speculation linking him with a move to the Turkish Super Liga throughout the summer and Barry Ferguson claims he could have easily left Ibrox if he had wanted this summer due to the quality that he possesses.

However, Ferguson, who starred for Rangers in two separate spells, believes Tavernier still wants to lead the team out of the tunnel for the remainder of the season.

Reflecting on his own experiences, Ferguson told the Daily Record: “Twice in my career - albeit for very different reasons - I left the club and gave up the Rangers captaincy. And, on both occasions, I felt a little bit of me never quite got over it.

“I guess it was slightly different for me because I was born and bred as a Rangers man. So to become the captain of the club I followed as a boy was the ultimate honour and privilege. I could hardly believe how lucky I was and I took the responsibility very seriously.

“Yes, it meant there was an added pressure on my shoulders. But I enjoyed that. I always felt it brought the best out of me. There would be disappointments and poor performances and when they came along I knew I would have to take the brunt of it as I was the leader of the group.

“I remember getting a bit of stick from supporters after defeats when I was leaving the stadium to walk to my car. Some of it got personal and that was never nice to hear. But, almost all of the time, I would be thinking to myself, ‘You know what? The guy’s right. I was rotten today and this is not f****** good enough,’.

“I’d think about it on the drive home and it would get under my skin. But my way of responding was to work as hard as I could on the training pitch and then go back out there and show them that I was still good enough to dominate and control a game of football. That I was captain material after all.

“I was lucky too. We had such a successful team and I was surrounded by so many talented players that it never took too long for us to put things right. If we lost a title one season, we’d win it back the next. If we didn’t win one cup final then we’d make sure we won the next one.”

Ferguson played for the Light Blues in an era where they lifted five league titles, five Scottish Cups, five League Cups while also reaching a UEFA Cup final.

Tavernier in comparison has captained Rangers in a more difficult period - winning one premiership title, one League Cup and one Scottish Cup while like Ferguson finishing runner-up on the European stage.

The ex-Newcastle defender has been forced to take the brunt of the criticism after a substandard start to the season and Ferguson believes that many supporters have crossed the line.

He explained: “Fans have to remember, he’s a human being after all, with real feelings.

“So I’ve been thinking about him over these last two weeks ever since I saw the footage from outside Ibrox following the derby defeat when he was confronted by angry supporters. Now I’m not on social media but the clip was sent to me and my first thought was, ‘That’s too much!’.

“It just hasn’t sat right with me all of this time. Yes, we all have to accept criticism when we’re not doing our jobs properly. It’s the same for people who work in all sorts of industries.

“If you’re not performing then someone somewhere will let you know about it. And Rangers fans had every right to be angry about the way their team performed at Parkhead. They were still raw and they were hurting. But a line was crossed in terms of the levels of abuse that Tavernier was subjected to. It went way over the score.

“Like him or not. Rate him or don’t rate him. But this guy has been wearing the jersey for nearly a decade as a Rangers player and never once has he gone hiding, no matter how tough it’s been. He’s always fit and available for selection the next week.

“That’s another reason why I was wondering where his head is at. I hope he deals with it the way I used to. I hope it’s given him the fuel to get back out onto a pitch as quickly as possible and show what he is all about. But I would understand it if he feels it’s unfair that he’s the whipping boy all the time. It’s a team game for crying out loud, it can’t all be pinned on just one man whether he’s the captain or not.”

Rangers return to action this weekend with a game away to an in-form Dundee United side. Tavernier is expected to start the game as captain and will hope for a victory as the Gers look to avoid losing further momentum in this season’s title race.