Butland believes duo will step up again

JACK BUTLAND has full belief that under-fire Rangers duo James Tavernier and Connor Goldson will bounce back from a barrage of criticism. Rangers supporters have been highly critical of both Tavernier and Goldson over the past couple of weeks amid a slump in form. Two of the most experienced players in the Ibrox dressing room, their performances have come under the microscope due to a series of mistakes. For club captain Tavernier and vice-captain Goldson, it has been a testing period as Rangers have lost ground to Celtic in the title race. However, Rangers keeper Butland has backed them to rise above it all and show their class during the title run-in. ‘Those guys have been a long time and have had to shoulder a lot of pressure,’ he said. ‘They’ve stepped up in big moments and I have no doubts they will do it again. ‘That’s part of being at a club like this. It’s win or it’s the end of the world. ‘What those guys, and others who have been here a long time, know is that you need to deal with that. ‘I have no doubt about those two in particular, the character, effort and how much it means to them to play for this club. I’m sure we will see it from now until the end of the season. ‘People can say what they like but those boys wear their heart on their sleeve, work hard and have come up with massive moments for Rangers. ‘I fully believe in both of them and everyone else. Tav is the captain for a reason. Connor is the vice-captain for a reason. ‘They’ve been here and they’ve experienced it. That experience is hugely important for the rest of the group.’ Tavernier has scored 24 goals in what has been a recordbreaking campaign, but many fans have criticised his efforts defensively. Particularly in the recent Old Firm game, when his mistake allowed Daizen Maeda to pounce and score the opening goal after just 21 seconds.

Butland insists the criticism is just part and parcel of Scottish football — and has full belief that Rangers can yet go on and win the title despite the recent slip-ups. ‘That’s the beauty of Scottish football and playing for this club,’ said Butland. ‘It’s always a fine line between success and failure. ‘That’s how it’s seen — and that’s how we see it. We want to win. We want to win every game and all the trophies. ‘If you fall short of that, then people are going to come for you at all times. That’s the reality of the situation, no matter what side of the city you’re on.’