‘We’ve let a lot of people down’ - James Tavernier issues apology to Rangers fans for ‘unacceptable’ cup final display

James Tavernier has apologised to Rangers fans after branding their Viaplay Cup final performance as “unacceptable” - admitting he had words with his team mates following the 2-1 defeat to Celtic.

In the first Old Firm League Cup final since December 2019, Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops emerged victorious at Hampden Park to hand opposite number Michael Beale his first loss since taking over the Ibrox side back in November.

Japanese striker Kyogo Furuhashi netted twice to give the Parkhead club a commanding lead before Alfredo Morelos pulled a goal back just after the hour mark but it proved to be just a consolation.

Right-back Tavernier will now be tasked with lifting the spirits of the Rangers players ahead of this weekend’s return to Scottish Premiership action against Kilmarnock.

Speaking to the media post-match, the Gers skipper said: “First and foremost I have to apologise to the fans. It was an unacceptable performance from ourselves. The first half wasn’t good enough, we know that, and conceding before half-time left us more to do.

“We conceded the second one then got our goal, created another good chance but we wasted enough time in the game to react and that is the most disappointing factor. We obviously got some belief when Alfredo scored and we then went on to create a couple more chances. But you can’t give away that much time in the game to try to get yourself back in it.

“So we’re disappointed with that. It’s the first defeat we’ve had under the gaffer. We’ve been getting the results that we wanted to but there when it mattered, we didn’t get the result. We know there’s a lot of work to be done and we’re continuing to work hard on the training pitch. But we have to deliver every game and we couldn’t do that.

“I have had my words in there. I am not going to go into too much detail but we have had an honest chat and we will have an honest chat through the week. It’s one of those ones where everybody in there knows we’ve let a lot of people down. That’s why it hurts, because we’ve let so many people down in a manner that we didn’t want to.

“Going through the week, we’ll have our meetings. It’s hard to get your words across now because there’s so much frustration. But with a calm head we’ll go through a lot of things. We know what to expect but, as a team, we have to show up on the day.

“Emotions are running high so we will have a chat through the week and I felt that we didn’t do that for large parts of the game. We all have to look in the mirror and be honest with each other. There is obviously a lot still to play for this season, it is our first defeat under the gaffer. But it is just the manner of getting beat today. You don’t want to lose to your rivals in a cup final so we have to look at this and move forward.”