The 'exceptional' Rangers star who 'never hides' from adversity as Ferguson praises stalwart ahead of hitting major landmark
Rangers captain James Tavernier has been commended ahead of making his 500th appearance for the Ibrox club
Loyalty in modern day football is a dying influence. It’s difficult to pick out many professional footballers who have devoted almost their entire career to one club.
Saturday’s Premiership clash against Motherwell will see current Rangers captain James Tavernier make his 500 appearance for the Ibrox side - a particularly impressive feat given how money has changed the nature of the sport.
The Englishman’s lengthy association with the Light Blues dates back to the summer of 2015 when he arrived in Govan for a mere £200,000 from Wigan Athletic. Within three years he was handed the armband by Steven Gerrard and has kept hold of it ever since.
With a testimonial just around the corner, Tavernier will lead his teammates out on Armed Forces’ Day this weekend as he always does with one thought on his mind - three points.
But for interim Gers boss Barry Ferguson, the prospect of playing your 500th game for a club like Rangers is a tremendous accolade and a moment that should rightly be commended.
Speaking in his pre-match media conference, Ferguson said: “First and foremost, I think it’s an unbelievable achievement. He’s been through a lot in his Rangers career, but one thing I’ve always got with James Tavernier is he never hides. He’s always put himself out there to play.
“I thought on Wednesday night, when I moved him from his natural right-back position into the centre-half role, I thought he was exceptional. I thought he became a real leader. That’s what I want from a captain.
“As I said, we’ve had a few good chats. He’s an important player to me. Tomorrow, 500 games. He deserves a lot of credit for that.”
Asked if he feels Tavernier comes in for unfair criticism at times, considering his impressive stats and goals return, Ferguson responded: “That’s part of playing at Rangers. When you suffer defeats and you don’t play well, it’s generally the captain that gets hit in the neck.
“He’s big enough to handle those situations. I’ve been through it as well. It’s not nice at times, but I’m afraid that’s the nature of the beast when you play at Rangers.”