Jimmy always put the captain’s armband on me... I will do him proud
TAVERNIER AIMING TO REACH FINAL FOR BELL
IT’S a source of immense sadness to James Tavernier that his biggest game as Rangers captain will be preceded by a change to his usual ritual.
For the first time, Jimmy Bell won’t be there to pass him the armband. They won’t be able to examine its state of cleanliness or share a little joke. A jolt of grief will fill the empty space.
After Bell’s sudden death was announced on Tuesday, Tavernier issued an emotional message on social media describing the long-serving kitman as the ‘heart and soul’ of Rangers.
That thought will stay firmly in the right-back’s mind when he runs out for tonight’s Europa League semi-final second leg against RB Leipzig. ‘Doing it for Jimmy’ adds something powerful to a multitude of motivation.
Following his arrival at Rangers in 2015, Tavernier developed a close bond with Bell. His elevation to captain brought another element into their relationship.
Bell demanded that Tavernier
He would want us to roll our sleeves up and get stuck in
continued to wear the same armband if Rangers were on a winning run. The superstition persisted. Until now.
‘That’s a true story about the captain’s armband,’ admitted Tavernier. ‘Unless it got too dirty, then we’d come to an agreement that I needed a new one.
‘Some of these small details are going to be strange when Jimmy’s not there. They are the small things everyone had with him. He had something different with every player.
‘That was one of mine. Before every game he’d put my captain’s armband on. It’s going to be strange, but I am more determined to do everything in my power to make him proud.’
Tuesday was a solemn day at Rangers’ Auchenhowie training ground. Preparations took second place to a collective mourning and stories about Bell’s three decades of service.
‘It is obviously devastating for the club and everyone who knew Jimmy, especially his family,’ said Tavernier.
‘Yesterday was really difficult to take. We all took to our own to mourn Jimmy. People are still doing it now.
‘But I know Jimmy wouldn’t want the fuss. He would want us to pull our socks up, roll our sleeves up and get stuck in tomorrow. Even in training today.
‘That was him, the standards he set. It is about getting together with the lads today, making sure we have a really good session, which I know we will.
‘Come tomorrow everyone will be ready to go from the first whistle. We are going to do it for the club, do it for the fans and obviously do it for Jimmy.’
Reflections from many former players spoke about the warmth and wisdom beneath Bell’s gruff exterior.
‘I loved Jimmy to bits,’ continued Tavernier. ‘He was one of the first people I came in to see when I first joined the club.
‘I remember the first time I met him, I asked him for the No 2. He gave me some stick for even asking him!
‘We created such a special relationship over the years. It is really hard to take. Obviously the boys who have even come in this season have created special relationships with Jimmy.
‘He was the heart and soul of this place. But we have to focus on the game, try and put the best performance on and try and reach a final where he would obviously want to go. That is our aim. That is what he would want us to do.’
Tavernier also has an opportunity to take his own Rangers story to a place far removed from its start seven years ago.
Arriving when the Ibrox club were in the second tier, he endured his share of bleak days in the subsequent campaigns before last season brought the vindication of a Premiership title.
Now, after twice reaching the Europa League last 16 under Steven Gerrard, the 30-year-old is key to hopes of making the May 18 final in Giovanni van
Bronckhorst’s first six months at the helm.
‘Personally, it means a lot,’ said Tavernier. ‘It has been a journey. But it has been a journey that has been expected.
‘We have always tried to improve each year, from the board down to the players to youths, we try to improve, try to get better, make the place around us better. We want to be in these competitions and doing really well.
‘We have been knocking at the door in the past few seasons. We are obviously a step closer. It would be an unbelievable achievement if we could get to the final.’
Judging from the run so far, a goal from Tavernier might well be required. At Ibrox, he has scored twice against Borussia Dortmund, once against Red Star Belgrade and twice against Braga. All in the knockout stages.
The skipper clearly relishes European nights under the lights in Govan. Asked if an intense atmosphere might affect Leipzig tonight, Tavernier said: ‘I hope so. You saw the Braga game when we got an early goal and that really kicked us on.
‘We’d obviously like to replicate that with an early goal to really get after them. We have seen really good teams come to Ibrox and struggle sometimes. I hope that is the case tomorrow night.
‘As a team, we just have to do everything we can to make the right result and limit their chances. Because we obviously know they are going to be a threat.
‘We know the fans will be right behind us. That’s what we want and that’s what we’ll need.
‘All we can do is give it our best, give it our all and leave everything on that pitch to have no regrets.
‘If we do that, then we have every fighting chance to get into a final.’