Rangers fans were not too happy with James Tavernier swerving the BT Sport cameras after the Liverpool humiliation the other night but he did come out 24 hours later with an attempt at an explanation. If I was a supporter I wouldn’t be upset at the timing – I’d be more angry at the message.
Tavernier held his hands up and admitted it wasn’t good enough. He said sorry and all the other things you’d expect. But it was his line at the end that set alarm bells ringing for me. “The Champions League is a great bonus for us,” he said. “Obviously we want to do our best in it, but the main focus is the league and domestic cups.”
Really? Tavernier should come straight back out and apologise for his apology. What kind of attitude is that? Listen, Tavernier has been a decent Rangers captain. He had his struggles over the years but he led the side to a title win. They ended Celtic’ s bid for 10, won the Scottish Cup and led the team to the Europa League Final. All great achievements.
But he doesn’t do himself any favours with this stuff. If the Champions League was just a bonus and the league and cup are the main things, why not just play the kids in Napoli then? Why charge fans top dollar to get into Ibrox and let them cough up fortunes travelling across the continent to support their team.
It just smacks of a lack of ambition and an acceptance that this competition is just about turning up and picking up a few bob. It has to be more than that.
Look across the city and the response from Celtic. I’ve never seen Ange Postecoglou look so crestfallen as he did after losing to Leipzig. It was another defeat and we can debate about the way he sends his team out to play in these matches.
I get that and I’ve said previously he should be commended for being positive. But he didn’t come out and say the Champions League was a bonus. He said he wants to compete.
I also agree with him in that I don’t think Celtic are actually too far off from doing so. No one likes losing, but there were ways to lose a football match. It’s no use just saying, ‘oh, they are world class players’.
Of course they are. How do you think they got to be world class players, by accepting defeat to players and teams who are meant to be better than them? That kind of talk has you beaten in the tunnel. I thought Rangers actually played pretty well in the first half against Liverpool. A bit like Hearts were good for about 20 seconds in Florence.
But it was pathetic the way Rangers crumbled in the second half and fans have every right to be angry. No one likes being beaten but there are ways to lose.
That sure wasn’t one of them, and neither was Ibrox the other night. And what kind of message does it send out talking about it being a bonus just being at that level?
We all know it’s tough and it’s not a level playing field. That doesn’t mean you get all doe-eyed in the tunnel before a ball is even kicked. If that is the mentality, then what is the point even turning up. Just tell UEFA to send over the Champions League dosh and we’ll not bother playing the games.
Rangers certainly didn’t have that mentality last season when they were knocking out Borussia Dortmund and Leipzig on the way to Seville. There’s certainly no need for it now. The tone was set on match day one when Gio van Bronckhorst admitted it was almost impossible to compete, so perhaps it’s no wonder that mentality seeped into the dressing room.
In contrast, Postecoglou seems determined to compete – and on his own terms. There are some Celtic fans who think the brand of football is a bit idealistic.
This campaign has been all about missed chances for Celtic. The stattos can go on about expected goals but you can see with your own eyes. It’s not xG – it’s missing sitters.
Celtic had 50-odd shots on goal and passed up half a dozen incredible opportunities across the four games and those are the margins at this level. it’s also why I agree Celtic are not a million miles away. Unlike van Bronckhorst, that is a positive message for his players.
No doubt, there is a lack of cutting edge to Postecoglou’s side right now at home and in Europe. They are not quite firing in front of goal. Dazien Maeda seems to have lost a bit of confidence, it’s not coming off for Kyogo at present and Liel Abada has gone off the boil a bit.
They are a bit too nice at times – like the other night when Giorgos Giakoumakis was tugged in the box and should have been screaming for a penalty and demanding a VAR check. Yet there’s still a feeling someone is in for a battering from them at some point, regardless of the injury issues.
When it comes to Europe, people are sick about hearing about lessons needing to be learned. But Tavernier’s apology is a major example of the negative mindset that can’t be repeated. Scottish clubs should be relishing the chance to compete on this stage no matter how difficult – not feeling sorry for themselves.
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