THE FALL GUY
But Wales boss would back Ramsey to shoot down Scots
WALES boss Robert Page insists he would have no fears over asking Aaron Ramsey to take a do-or-die penalty against Scotland.
Ramsey missed the decisive spot-kick as Rangers suffered Europa League final heartbreak to Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville.
However, Welsh boss Page has backed Ramsey to step up against Scotland or Ukraine if next month’s World Cup play-off final in Cardiff goes to a sudden death shoot-out.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke names his squad on Tuesday for the semi-final clash against Ukraine on June 1, with a place in the finals in Qatar up for grabs.
With his Wales team already through to the final, Page offered public support to Ramsey in his hour of need when he said he would trust the 31-year-old to take a penalty on June 5 if required.
‘Absolutely, 100 per cent,’ said the Welsh manager. ‘It happens to the best in the world. Top players, they put themselves up.
‘I am so proud of him for putting himself up (to take a penalty for Rangers), he is a world-class footballer.
‘He had the courage and conviction to
JAMES TAVERNIER insists Rangers can recover from their Europa League final agony and make this the start of a special era. The Ibrox captain was left distraught on Wednesday night as Aaron Ramsey’s missed penalty saw Eintracht Frankfurt triumph in the shoot-out following a 1-1 draw. That denied Rangers their chance of a first European trophy in 50 years, but Tavernier is adamant it does not mark the end of this squad’s story. While a number of players are either out of contract or entering their final year this summer, he believes the outstanding run to reach Seville can act as inspiration for further growth and achievement. Rangers have a chance to end the current campaign with silverware when they meet Hearts in tomorrow’s Scottish Cup final. ‘We’ve got great experience in the dressing room and we’re all round each other,’ said Tavernier, reflecting on the disappointment of Wednesday night. ‘This is not the end of us. This is the start of something special with this team. ‘We want to be building from this to make the fans proud and really push on from this moment.’ Asked if that message had been stressed by manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst after the final, Tavernier said: ‘Yeah. With the squad that we’ve got, we’re always going to continue to build on it and bring players in. The manager said he lost the World Cup final but it’s football. It’s very hard to take but it’s got to make you stronger and we’ll be back fighting again.’ Tomorrow’s Hampden visit could potentially mark a farewell for Connor Goldson, Allan McGregor and Steven Davis. Those three are approaching the end of their existing Ibrox deals, while loanee Ramsey will return to Juventus. Seville goalscorer Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos are among the players approaching the final 12 months of their contracts. Asked if it was important to keep the core of the squad together, Tavernier added: ‘Yeah, it’s obviously important. The club is always continuing to recruit the best players that we can. We’ll continue to build. ‘That’s what we’ve been doing over these past few years. ‘Like I said, this is the best squad I’ve been with and it’s only going to continue to get better and better.’ Rangers’ next European involvement will come with Champions League qualifiers in August. Two hurdles must be overcome to land the group stage windfall but Tavernier feels that shouldn’t be a daunting prospect. ‘We have gone toe to toe with some of the best clubs in Europe,’ he argued. ‘We have no fear whoever we’re up against. ‘We’ll continue to have that same mentality. Any team we come up against, we’ll go toe to toe with.’