James Tavernier’s Hall of Fame induction – a sign of Rangers’ standards or a worthy inclusion?
Three Rangers heroes were inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame at a ceremony celebrating the opening of New Edmiston House on Sunday 19 February.
All three of the inductees were active Rangers players with Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and James Tavernier issued the honour. Coming to the end of their careers, there’s no doubt McGregor and Davis deserve to have their names permanently etched above the marble staircase at Ibrox, but Tavernier’s inclusion has raised a few eyebrows amongst the ‘Gers supporters.
Some fans were surprised as Tavernier has a considerable number of years left in his career while others argued that with two major trophies in seven years, was the Rangers captain even deserving of his inclusion in the Hall of Fame?
There is a specific criteria used when Rangers decide who should earn this accolade:
· Length of Service
· Honours won
· Total appearances
· Number of international caps acquired
· Exceptional abilities displayed
The argument against Tavernier’s inclusion is his lack of honours won, but if that was all that mattered then Aaron Niguez would be just as deserving of a place in the Rangers Hall of Fame as their reigning player of the year.
While there is no doubt Tavernier’s cabinet should have more winners medals, context is required when looking at his Rangers career. Initially joining Rangers for £200k in the 2015/16 campaign, Tavernier’s debut season was in the Scottish Championship. Playing alongside Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan in defence, he helped the club to the league title, Challenge Cup and a Scottish Cup final.
He scored 15 goals in his debut season, a knack that hasn’t changed since, however, his defensive abilities are what causes him to divide opinion among the Ibrox faithful. Tavernier was part of, statistically, Britain’s best ever defence in 2020/21 as his side conceded 13 goals all season, however, some fans still struggle to shake the image of Scott Sinclair or Anthony Stokes getting the better of him six years ago.
Tavernier’s exceptional ability that saw him immortalised in the club’s hall of fame isn’t just his goal scoring, it’s his ability to bounce back from adversity. James Tavernier joined a Rangers team that finished third in the Championship and has captained the side to an invincible Premiership win and to a Europa League final.
Although his goal scoring has certainly helped him earn this accolade; his output is something that definitely can’t be questioned when it comes to his time at Rangers. He has 95 goals for Rangers, more than Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne combined.
During the Gers’ run to Seville, Tavernier scored the most goals in the competition with seven – this led to him becoming the first defender to win the Golden Boot of a UEFA competition since Ronald Koeman in 1994. And with 112 assists, since FBREF stats began in 1998, James Tavernier is five goals away from becoming just the 12th player to register over 100 goals and assists.
It is a huge week for the Rangers captain as he can further improve his legacy at the club with a win over Celtic in this weekend’s Viaplay League Cup final.