Tavernier is out to scratch Gers’ 11-year Cup itch
James Tavernier has called on his team-mates to end the club’s 11-year drought in domestic cup competitions.
The Ibrox men haven’t won a trophy at Hampden Park since they lifted the League Cup in 2011.
While Tavernier captained his club to the league title last season, he has yet to lift another major honour during his seven years in Scottish football.
Defeating Celtic today would be a huge step towards ending the major gap in his career.
He said: “That’s been evident since I’ve been here. We’ve always come up short in domestic cup competitions.
“We know it’s an area that we have to improve on as a team, and a club.
“We want silverware in these cups, so the boys know what to do, and we just have to deliver.
“When you play for Rangers, you always want to get silverware, and our aim is to get as much as we can.
“That’s why all the boys want to sign for a club like Rangers, to win things. The club demands silverware, and the fans demand silverware.”
Rangers slumped to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Hibs in November’s Premier Sports League Cup semi-final.
Another blot on Tavernier’s record is the 2016 Scottish Cup Final when they lost a 2-1 lead, allowing Hibs to lift the trophy for the first time in 114 years.
Tavernier is adamant those disappointments at the National Stadium will not have any bearing on today.
He went on: “Those games are in the past. We don’t think about them.
“We use the current momentum that we have.
“We’ve just beaten Braga in a two-legged game, and we beat Borussia Dortmund this season – big opponents in European football.
“We’re in a European semi-final, so we’re using that confidence to take into this game.
“I know all my boys will be fully at it. We will give our all to make sure we get to the Final.”
While Tavernier has been racking up goals and assists from the right flank all season, it has been a different story on the other side of the pitch.
Borna Barisic spent an extended spell on the sidelines after being hooked at half-time when his side were thumped 3-0 by Celtic at Parkhead in February.
A recent return to the team has given him a chance to show his ability to deliver quality balls into the box, and he set up Tavernier to open the scoring against Braga on Thursday night.
The Light Blues skipper said: “You know what Borna’s qualities are. He has unbelievable delivery.
“You can almost second guess where the ball is going to go because he’s got such great delivery. So it’s good to have options on the right and left.”