Rangers Fan View: James Tavernier has become a leader

James Tavernier has been a bit of a marmite type player within the Rangers support. I will be totally honest and say I’m one of the people who have always stuck up for him, even last season when he was playing quite poorly.

However, credit to him as this season I have seen a new side to Tav. I believe he is now beginning to show real leadership qualities. He is not the type of player who goes round bawling and screaming at teammates, but rather the type of player who leads by example. Even when up against it he will always show for the ball. But perhaps more importantly, he will never hide after making a mistake.

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He was brought to the club by Mark Warburton and excelled in his first season playing in the Championship. Having said that, I believe the improvement in his mentality in terms of taking responsibility and becoming a better all-round player in the top flight was helped by Pedro Caixinha. Playing within a more structured defensive system has helped Tav’s defending come on leaps and bounds. Yes, there are times he has made mistakes. But, on the whole, he’s got much better, especially at one-on-one defending. The recent Old Firm game where he bossed Scott Sinclair illustrates that point perfectly.

However, one massive help to Tavernier and his progression has been the acquisition of Daniel Candeias from Benfica. They have struck up a great partnership on the right-hand side. At times, their understanding of each other’s movement can be somewhat telepathic; it’s no surprise that our right side has been much stronger than the left this time around. They give the side such dynamism, quality and pace, which obviously had been a great outlet for us.

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Going back to Tavernier, though. The turnaround says a lot about his mentality. Take the last two games for example. He concedes the most ridiculous of penalties against Hibs. He holds his hands up, admits his mistake and in the next game against Partick Thistle, he goes out and shows what he’s all about and tops off a good performance with a great goal.

It’s that kind of mental toughness that he showed in the last two weeks that I doubted he had in his locker. After the Hibs cup final loss I thought that he may be finished at Ibrox; he looked a broken man that day. For him to come through that and have the hunger to improve and take more responsibility on his shoulders has not only benefitted the team, it has aided his overall development as a player.

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With a season total of six goals and eight assists, he has already beaten his numbers from last season, with two goals and seven assists. Unsurprisingly, he’s well on course to reach double figures for both goals and assists. I can only hope that we are able to tie him down to another contract as soon as possible, especially if his growth on the park and performances are kept at a high level.

The man has had his critics at times and rightly so. Having said that, if we sold him tomorrow, I doubt we could find a replacement who would offer the same characteristics and skill set to the right-back role that he does. It’s been a rollercoaster with him at times. However, it is pleasing to see him grow into a leader and finally have the broad shoulders to grow into that Rangers shirt, where many higher-profile names before him have failed.