Andy hails Tavernier’s Ibrox record
THEY signed on at Ibrox two days apart in July 2015 as Rangers tooled-up for another important step on the climb back to the top of Scottish football.
Seven years on Andy Halliday will be glued to his television as James Tavernier leads Rangers out in Seville looking to take the biggest leap of their incredible ascent back to the top of the European game.
Hearts ace Halliday may be preparing to deliver a final domestic blow to his old side in Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final.
But before then he will absolutely be rooting for Rangers in tomorrow’s Europa League Final showdown with Eintracht Frankfurt.
And nobody more so than Tavernier, the sole survivor of the side that won promotion back to the Premiership in that 2015-16 season.
Halliday has watched Rangers’ swashbuckling run to Seville in awe and insists it serves as proof, if any way needed, that the abuse Tavernier has taken over the years has been nothing short of “baffling”.
Captain material? You’d better believe it.
Indeed the only thing Halliday reckons is wrong about the Englishman is his scoring record from full-back – and he means that in the most positive of ways.
Another 18 goals this season make it 83 in 345 appearances in Light Blue for Tavernier. His seven goals in Europe alone make him the competition’s top scorer going into tomorrow’s final with Frankfurt.
Not only that but he has netted the crucial opener in every one of Rangers’ home knockout ties against Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and finally Red Bull Leipzig.
Rangers have wings all right. And while Halliday is desperate to clip them with Hearts on Saturday, he is absolutely desperate to see his old side soar in Seville led by their captain fantastic.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted for Tav. We signed a couple of days apart back in 2015 and I think some of the stick he has taken over the years has been baffling.
“I always felt as a player if he can take stick despite doing what he’s doing then anyone can.
“And the goals he has scored... I read he’s scored 35 in his last 100 appearances – that’s just not right, it’s just something you don’t see.
“He’s had a lot of questions – is he a captain, is he captain material?
“Well, if you score the first goal in every home leg in a European knockout competition, that’s somebody who is setting an example and driving from the front.
“I’m absolutely delighted for him.”