James Tavernier breaks Rangers silence on post Celtic fan abuse as captain insists 'I'm a strong character'
Resilient James Tavernier has shrugged off his confrontation with a raging Rangers fan in the wake of a painful Old Firm defeat.
The Ibrox captain starred tonight as Gers beat Malmo 2-0 to record their first-ever win against Swedish opposition at the seventh attempt. Tavernier, 32, was over the moon with the result as Philippe Clement's side made it three wins on the bounce without conceding.
Celtic's rampant start to the campaign has sparked fears among the Light Blues faithful that they won't be able to compete with the reigning champions. Tavernier felt the wrath of a fuming punter after the 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park earlier this month. The clip went viral on social media and asked about it for the first time, the skipper told TNT Sports: "It's part and parcel.
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"I'm at the front, I'm the captain and I've got to be there to take the criticism and when we're doing well take the good things out of it as well. No, I'm a strong character and I can always continue with whatever comes my way. The fans obviously showed great support after it and we as a team have just got to move in the right direction and just keep pushing forward."
Tavernier was delighted to be able to put smiles back on supporters' faces tonight as he said: "Our fans always require us to win games no matter who it is. You see the fans coming over today and fans watching back home who want us to put a performance in and we did that tonight."
It was without a doubt Rangers' best performance of the season on a night where the Glasgow giants could have put FIVE past the Swedish champions. But Tavernier hopes the Europa League triumph will help breathe fresh positivity into the Rangers camp.
He said: "Yeah, we're continuing to work hard on the training pitch. We're getting stronger as a team. We've got a young squad who are really gelling in. We want to keep this momentum going, put in the performances and get stronger and stronger. I thought it was a great result for us."