Gerrard lets Tavernier do his own spot check
RANGERS manager Steven Gerrard will allow James Tavernier to make the call on whether he continues as penalty-taker after his second consecutive miss from the spot.
The Ibrox captain was handed an early opportunity to put his side in front against Feyenoord in midweek but his effort clipped the post on its way wide.
Although Rangers went on to win the Europa League match 1-0, the miss was enough to prompt a conversation between the manager and his skipper, who also failed to convert against Progres Niederkorn in the qualifiers.
Tavernier scored 14 of the 16 penalties he took last season and, ahead of today’s Premiership trip to St Johnstone, he will be given the chance to continue or delegate.
‘That is two on the spin now, so I will have a chat with James and get a feel for
where he is at,’ said Gerrard. ‘The chat I will have with James is: “Are you confident you will score the next one? Do you want to take the next one ?”.
‘We will deal with the situation from there. You will know the answer when we get the next one.
‘He has been outstanding from the spot, so I think it will boil down to him. There will be two sides of how he is feeling. Either, he’ll think he can’t wait for the next penalty because he’ll score it, or he will think maybe it is for someone else.
‘There are other penalty-takers around him if he doesn’t fancy it. There is no pressure on him.’
If Tavernier (below) were to defer, there is no guarantee the club’s top scorer, Alfredo Morelos, would take over.
‘I played with centre-forwards who didn’t like going near them,’ said the manager. ‘Fernando Torres, one of the best centre-forwards I played with, didn’t fancy taking penalties.
‘It is down to confidence, belief and bravery. I think James will be fine. That won’t be the last penalty he misses but I guarantee he will score an awful lot more.’
Gerrard insists he won’t have to massage his captain’s ego in the wake of Thursday’s aberration.
‘Tav hasn’t missed a training session, hasn’t missed a game, so I think that shows the mental strength of the player,’ added Gerrard. ‘He is very robust.
‘In terms of belief and confidence, he is a big player for us. To be a match-winner at right-back is very unusual and he has won us many a game with moments of brilliance, whether it be from open play, from a free-kick, or a big penalty.
‘He played his part in a clean sheet on Thursday and that is more important to me than the penalty miss.’
The Ibrox boss also expresses some optimism regarding the seemingly improved temperament of Morelos this season. ‘I say it with caution but I have more trust,’ he admitted. ‘I think he is behaving in the right way, not getting involved in situations he maybe did last year. ‘He got a yellow card on Thursday but that was down to fire in the belly, rather than him misbehaving. ‘Everyone is talking about Alfredo being unplayable against Feyenoord. First half, he occupied the back four all on his own. ‘And that is the way we want him to play, because when he is at his best, he is a great sight to see.’ More than a week on from the departure of Rangers’ director of football Mark Allen, Gerrard insists he would be relaxed about going into the January transfer window without a new man in situ. ‘I am sure we would be fine,’ he declared. ‘The recruitment team is still in place and we will continue to try to identify people. ‘If the club decide they want to replace Mark, I’m sure there are things happening in the background.’ Meanwhile, thousands of Rangers supporters will be able to pay their last respects to Fernando Ricksen when the Ibrox idol’s funeral procession passes the stadium on Wednesday. The club yesterday confirmed the date the tragic former right-back will be laid to rest after losing his six-year battle with Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 43.
The funeral will be held at 2pm at Wellington Church in the Hillhead area of Glasgow then a private family committal.
The journey to the service will begin with the hearse passing along Edmiston Drive and the Ibrox main stand before heading along Paisley Road West.
A host of former Rangers players and team-mates are expected to attend including Jorg Albertz, Arthur Numan, Michael Mols, Marco Negri, Barry Ferguson, Alex Rae, Marvin Andrews, Nacho Novo and John Brown.
Stan Gordon, close friend of Ricksen and manager of Rangers Legends team, said: ‘Fernando has said that Glasgow was his home, Ibrox was his home.
‘This was where he spent the best time of his life and enjoyed his greatest moments.
‘So it’s only fitting and right that he goes by the stadium on his final journey.
‘It’s very touching and sure to be very emotional. There will be a good turnout of ex-players including Arthur Numan, Michael Mols and Jorg Albertz. And you have to expect thousands of fans wanting to pay their respects will come too and line the streets.’
Ricksen was honoured in style by Rangers on Thursday night, the day following his passing, when Steven Gerrard’s team dedicated their 1-0 Europa League win over Dutch side Feyenoord to their former player in front of an emotional crowd.