CALMNESS IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
Tavernier has learned to control Old Firm emotions and wants a strong start at Ibrox
WHEN James Tavernier steps out in front of a raucous Ibrox to make his 28th Old Firm appearance, he will be able to call on a breadth of experience that covers pretty much every conceivable outcome.
Six-and-a-half years have passed since the Rangers captain helped Mark Warburton’s Championship promotion-winners upset the odds in a Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
An ecstatic derby debut was followed by sustained, painful lows before the arrival of Steven Gerrard turned the tide from green to blue.
Since Gerrard’s exit, though, Celtic have mostly been on top. A 4-0 obliteration at Parkhead in September is something Tavernier very much wants to put right this afternoon.
Throughout all of it, lessons have been learned. While the excitement remains the same, Tavernier admits he has become a little better at handling the extremes of emotion generated by the fixture’s unmatched intensity.
‘I’d say, especially in the first few games, you hear all the noise around the game and you don’t really know what to expect, so you build it up as the absolute biggest game,’ he reflected. ‘If you lose, you feel like you are going to die.
‘It is one of those you never want to lose regardless. It’s something that I’ve been able to control over the years.’
While Tavernier may no longer fear he’s about to meet his maker, defeat still carries a deep impact. The 31-year-old has felt that agony 16 times overall, with eight wins and three draws forming the rest of his record.
‘I’ve experienced a lot,’ he said. ‘It probably hurt more in the early days because the results weren’t there for a long period of time.
‘Then, as the squad got stronger and stronger and we felt that we could get the results, it was obviously better but you never like losing, no matter what.
‘We have got to come into this game full of confidence, which we are, and start with a clean sheet.
‘We have got to be solid defensively and set the tempo of the game.
‘The emotions can affect a lot of it because tactics can go out the window. It becomes about who can put their stamp on the game — the first headers, tackles. It’s about being controlled, not relaxed, with the way you are playing.’
Tavernier’s talk of ‘early days’ refers to Rangers’ first two years back in the Premiership, when thumpings were regularly dished out by Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic.
December 29, 2018 was a significant date. Ryan Jack’s goal inflicted Rodgers’ first defeat in 13 Old Firm games and signalled a shift in mentality under Gerrard. The title would take two further years but any fear factor against Celtic had gone.
From that backstory, Tavernier draws confidence in being able to alter the dynamic again. Right now, all the momentum — and a nine-point lead — lies with Celtic.
Tavernier recognises that yet sees positive signs in the four straight wins Rangers have recorded under Michael Beale’s management.
‘Six or seven months ago, we were in a European final and we have only lost a few players out of that squad,’ he argued.
‘We have got more players in the squad, so we know the heights that we can get to. Recently, we have shown a real grit and determination to go into games and get the wins that we needed.
‘We have shown different ways of winning and that is really pleasing to see — that we have got that real grit we showed when we won the league.
‘That season, we showed different ways of winning and we have got that back in our play. We have got to take every ounce of experience into a game like this and apply it.’
Application was questioned in September. Seven months after losing 3-0 at Celtic Park, a team under the command of Giovanni van Bronckhorst somehow repeated most of the same mistakes to come out on the end of an even heavier defeat.
It was pitiful stuff. Tavernier admits Rangers badly let themselves down and has been desperate for another crack at the derby.
‘Yeah, that’s always the case,’ he said. ‘You normally play these games and then there is an international break or a break after, so you always want to get that win.
‘The performance that we put up at Parkhead wasn’t good enough at all and it is obviously something we need to rectify.
‘I think it is always important, if you lose a game, that you have left everything on the pitch.
‘The League Cup final, for instance, we left everything out on the pitch and lost. You never want to lose but you can walk away from the game saying you have done everything possible.
‘I think the game at Parkhead, we didn’t do everything possible as a team that I know we can do.
‘Those are the ones that hurt more. Even though you want to give everything on the day, if things don’t click together then there is always a sense that the performance wasn’t good enough.
‘We have more to give and, hopefully, everything goes together really well on Monday.’
It might be the last chance to revive talk of a title race. Lose, and a 12-point margin is surely too much to overcome against opponents who dropped only nine points over the entirety of 2022. Could cutting the gap to six points put doubt into Celtic minds?
‘We can only control ourselves,’ insisted Tavernier. ‘On Monday, we want the result but, after that, we can only control what we do.
‘There are a lot of games to play and we will go to the last game of the season wanting to win every single game. That’s the minimum.’
Born and raised in Yorkshire, Tavernier didn’t grow up dreaming of Old Firm glory. Now, though, Rangers are in his blood.
‘I was a Leeds fan and, as a season ticket holder, I knew all about the Manchester UnitedLeeds rivalry,’ he smiled. ‘Then I went to Newcastle and there was the rivalry with Sunderland there. It set me up a little bit for coming up here but it is obviously on another level. ‘It’s only when you’re really involved and playing that you know the actual magnitude. They are special games to play
in.’