James Tavernier's Rangers numbers have been branded as CRAZY and he is due much more credit than he gets.
That's the verdict of former Light Blues defender Kirk Broadfoot, who played right-back in the UEFA Cup Final defeat to Zenit back in 2008. Playing in a similar position on the park just backs up his stats with his entry to the century club hailed as 'unbelievable'.
He took his tally to the magic 100 during last weekend's derby clash with Celtic. It was a day to remember personally but some of the gloss was taken off the big moment as Ange Postecoglou's men ran out 3-2 winners in a thriller at Parkhead. Kyogo Furuhashi netted a double while Jota capitalised on an error to round Allan McGregor with skipper Tavernier firing home a stunning free-kick and a header beyond Joe Hart.
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The Ibrox captain, despite his huge numbers, often comes in for criticism but Broadfoot - plying his trade with Lowland League outfit Open Goal Broomhill - believes he should be getting well overdue credit for his contribution to the team.
He said: “His stats for a full-back are crazy. To hit 100 goals is unbelievable. His free kicks are second to none. People might argue that he takes penalties which takes his goal tally up, but you still need to score those penalties. He also chips in with some world-class strikes.
“There won’t be many full-backs who hit those sort of numbers at any level. Everyone needs to give him the credit for that because it is certainly due.”
The 38-year-old continued: “There is probably double pressure on him because he is the captain. There is a pressure when you play for Rangers but there is more on you when you are the captain.
“I saw the pressure that was on the likes of David Weir and Barry Ferguson when I was at Rangers. Being the Rangers captain you need to take the burden the majority of the time, through thick and thin. Tavernier stepped up at the weekend and he showed why he is one of Rangers’ top players and performers.”
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