Rangers defender James Tavernier receives backing from manager.
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has given his backing to defender James Tavernier.
Tavernier missed a penalty in the win over Feyenoord, but Sheyi Ojo’s excellent strike made up for it.
Rangers hung on to win 1-0 despite the Dutch side dominating possession.
Tavernier played his role in helping Rangers keep a clean sheet.
Gerrard backed the right-back, who is normally so reliable from set pieces. The manager said he would be sticking with him as penalty taker.
He told Rangers’ official website: “Tav has scored some really big penalties for us and he has scored some really big goals. He is the type of captain who provides big moments, and unfortunately, it wasn’t his night tonight and he got the penalty wrong.
“But, we stick with him and he has been huge for us. He helped us keep a clean sheet and I think Tav, even though he is quite old in terms of being late 20s, at this level, he is still inexperienced.”
Gerrard’s comments are exactly what Tavernier would want to hear, and they are totally fair.
He rarely misses, and just perhaps let the occasion get to him. Given the emotion of the evening, its understandable and excusable.
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