Mark Warburton just can’t believe there is any cause for debate.
The former Ibrox boss was delighted to see James Tavernier inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame last week yet the decision appears to have caused a split amongst the Ibrox support. For every punter who believes the man who skippered the club to its 55th title fully deserves his place among the Light Blues’ great and the good, there is another who contends that two trophies in eight years simply does not justify such lofty acclaim.
But Warburton, the man who first signed the right-back back in the summer of 2015, knows which side of the argument he sits. The Englishman told Record Sport: “Fans are entitled to their opinion but the fact is that Tav’s come through promotion from the Championship, a cup final loss in 2016, dealt with changes of managers, good times, bad times, a title win, a European adventure and been solid throughout.
“So for me, he’s absolutely earned his right to be up on that board in the Marble Staircase. How do you judge whether a player’s earned the right to be on that board? Well I think Tav has shown his commitment, his pride in playing for and captaining the club and his relevance to a variety of managers so I think that fully justifies his inclusion.”
Warburton didn’t have much of a budget to play with as he arrived in Glasgow charged with rebuilding a broken club. But the £200,000 two-for-one deal that saw Tavernier and Martyn Waghorn join Gers from Wigan turned out to be money well spent.
Warburton - now Davie Moyes’ No.2 at West Ham - said: “Waggy scored 28 goals that season and Tav has gone on to do what he’s done for the club. It was good business! Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a tremendous achievement.
“When Tav came in, he was always low-maintenance, hardly ever missed a match or training session. Just a manager’s dream. What’s impressed me most is the way he’s raised his levels as the games have got bigger for Rangers in Europe and back in the top flight.
“We always knew he was an outstanding crosser but he’s continued to show that quality down the years no matter the level. Rangers have been through a lot of managers since Davie Weir and I first joined the club and the fact is Tav’s still there, still one of the first names on the team sheet, tells you a lot.
“There’s been times when he’s had a struggle. It wasn’t that long ago I was getting calls from folk saying he’s having a massive dip in form, is this the beginning of the end for his Rangers career?
“But he just continues to play his way through it and comes out the other side all the stronger for it. For me, he deserves enormous credit for his strength of character.”
Steven Gerrard appointed Tavernier captain when he took over in 2018 but Warburton believes the man who skippered his own team deserves praise for the guidance he offered his successor in the role. “Taking that armband from Lee Wallace was a big responsibility and there were questions how he’d handle that,” added Warbs. He learned so much from Lee, who was a very willing teacher.
“Lee was a great mentor in that respect and credit to Tav for bleeding Lee dry really. He wanted to know what it meant, what it took to be captain of Rangers, how you should conduct yourself. He’s done a tremendous job.”
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