‘No one deserves to win the Scottish Premiership more than the Rangers captain’ – Scott Bradley

James Tavernier’s contract is coming up at the end of the season and his future still remains uncertain, but if this is going to be his swan song – no one deserves to win the Scottish Premiership more than the Rangers captain.  Tavernier signed for the Light Blues whilst they were in the Scottish Championship in 2015 and it’s been a rollercoaster of a journey. There’s been a lot of great times and a lot of bad ones but one thing is for sure – the right-back has been the Ibrox club’s best and most important player over the last 11 years. In 2018, Steven Gerrard made the decision to appoint Tavernier as the club captain – a call that did surprise many of the Rangers faithful at the time. Former Rangers boss Mark Warburton, who signed Tavernier, never seen him as captain material when he worked with him between 2015-2017. It was a role that Tavernier did struggle with at first, but over time he grew into it and guided the Govan club to their 55th league title and to a European final. One thing that gets unfairly labeled at the Englishman is that he is a ‘serial loser’ due to not having won more trophies. Firstly, it’s not Tavernier’s fault that he’s had to play in some dross Rangers teams for the majority of his career. Secondly, he doesn’t sign the players or appoint the managers and if anything – he’s the one whose carried Rangers for years! If you put Barry Ferguson in some of the teams Tavernier has played in, he would have won the same number of trophies. People forget that football is a team game and there’s only so much the former Wigan Athletic player can do – but he always gets made out to be the scapegoat, which is embarrassing. Tavernier is Britain’s highest scoring defender of all time with a staggering 153 goals and is the fourth highest scoring defender of all time – it’s nothing short of remarkable. The 34-year-old has been incredibly loyal to Rangers and played an instrumental part in helping the club reach the Europa League final in 2022 and finished top goal scorer of the competition with seven goals. The Rangers supporters do seem to forget all the unbelievably iconic things that Tavernier has done for the club and time will be kind to him once he eventually moves on. As Connor Goldson famously said: “This football club won’t appreciate James Tavernier until James Tavernier is not here.” The Rangers Hall of Famer has received a ridiculous amount of criticism over the years but it’s never phased the Bradford-born defender – he’s without doubt one of the most mentally strong players in the game who is the ultimate professional and role model. Danny Rohl has remained tight-lipped on Tavernier’s future and said he’ll discuss his future once the season is finished. The German head coach dropped Tavernier for the back-to-back Old Firm derbies in March, which came as a big surprise. We all know age catches up with everyone, but Tavernier is an incredible athlete who takes great care of himself. He’s never injured and is always reliable. He’s Rangers’ top goal scorer this season with 14 goals – even at his age, he still has plenty to offer. Ideally, if it was up to me, I would give Tavernier a one year extension because he’s an asset and will be extremely difficult to replace. However, if this is going to be his last season – it would be the perfect way to end his Rangers career as a champion, and no one and I mean no one, deserves it more than him. After everything he’s been through, Rangers need to go and win the Premiership for the legend that is James Henry Tavernier.

Steven Gerrard gives his verdict on Danny Rohl’s performance as Rangers boss

Former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has said that Danny Rohl is doing a ‘phenomenal’ and ‘immaculate’ job so far.  Back in October, the Ibrox club were eighth in the league table and trailed league leaders Hearts by 11 points, which led to the sacking of failed former boss Russell Martin after only 17 games in charge. Rohl replaced Martin and has got the Light Blues back in the title race and are one point behind Derek McInnes’ men. Gerrard looked set to return to the Gers after Martin’s sacking but said the timing wasn’t right for him. The Liverpool legend is adored by the Ibrox faithful as he delivered the club’s 55th league title and stopped bitter rivals Celtic winning ten Premiership’s in a row. Speaking on talkSPORT, Gerrard was full of praise for the job the German head coach is doing at his former club. “I dare say he’s been phenomenal, what was it, 13 points off the top? “What a job. He’s come in, he’s said all the right things, he’s tweaked things on the pitch, he’s signed good players in January. I think he’s been immaculate. “But how good is it Ally, when you win on a Saturday, you’re ready and all that on a Sunday and you watch the others play and the pressure is on the others. It’s brilliant isn’t it?” Gerrard’s last managerial role in the game was with Al-Ettifaq in 2025 and is ready to return to the dugout if the right opportunity was to present itself in the future. “My family are back home in Liverpool, the kids are all settled at school. I’m more ready than I have been. I’m all ears. “But at the same time, I’m not chasing. I’m not searching, I’m not desperate. I’m in a good place. “Work-life balance is fantastic at the moemnt but if the right opportunity comes, I’m all ears to listen to that. “But I’m having a fantastic time at TNT with Ally and the boys and the girls, covering some big games.”

Gerrard won the most important league title in Rangers’ history and hopefully will be manager again one day – Scott Bradley

Steven Gerrard appeared on the Overlap and was asked about his successful time as Rangers manager.  The footballing legend spoke of his regret leaving the Ibrox club for Aston Villa in 2021 as he only lasted eight months in charge. Gerrard made history and won the Light Blues their first league title in ten years and stopped Celtic doing ten in a row. The Rangers faithful were devastated when Gerrard left as they were top of the league and were going in the right direction under his management. The former England international said on the Overlap that looking back he wished he had stayed put at Rangers. Hindsight is obviously one thing, but I can understand why he made the switch to Villa at that time. Gerrard is a serial winner with extremely high standards – that’s why he was one of the best midfielders to ever grace the game. After the Ibrox club won their 55th league title, the former board got complacent and took their foot off the gas. Gerrard wanted to kick on and take Rangers to the next level and the board weren’t willing to support his demands and vision. The Liverpool legend was frustrated and rightly so because he was proved right as the last title Rangers won was with Gerrard as manager. Gerrard spent well with not a huge budget and delivered on what he was brought in to do – he was let down in his final season with poor recruitment and lack of funds. The former England international took charge in 2018 and the club were in a complete mess. He was able to build a team went on to become Premiership champions and Europa League finalists The only negative thing about Gerrard’s tenure in Glasgow was that he should have won more, but he delivered the big one which was bringing that title back to Govan. We can’t ignore the elephant in the room and gloss over the fact that Gerrard did knock Rangers back twice last year, but I can also see why he did. For a starter, he didn’t feel comfortable working with former sporting director Kevin Thelwell and former CEO Patrick Stewart, and do you really blame him? They were two horrendous appointments who were dismissed not long after Danny Rohl’s appointment, and rightly so. If Gerrard was afforded the freedoms that Rohl has now got – he most likely would have took the job back in October. But take nothing away from Rohl, who is doing an unbelievable job and has got Rangers right back into the title race – something many thought was impossible months ago. The way Gerrard speaks about Rangers, you can tell he loves the club and that he still has unfinished business. Rohl will eventually move on at some point but hopefully that isn’t for a long time. Whenever that time comes, I would love to see Gerrard return to the Ibrox dugout and pick up right from where he left off. He won the most important league title in the club’s history and ruined the biggest season in Celtic’s history. I believe one day he will be back in that Ibrox dugout, and I really hope it happens.

‘He’s an asset’ – Mark Warburton full of praise for James Tavernier and hopes the Rangers captain signs a new deal

Former Rangers boss Mark Warburton says that James Tavernier is still an asset to the club and hopes he extends his stay at Ibrox. The Rangers Hall of Famer’s contract is up at the end of the season and there has been a lot of speculation surrounding his future. Tavernier joined the Light Blues 11 years ago and was signed by Warburton in the Scottish Championship. Speaking on the GersNet Podcast, Warburton couldn’t speak highly enough of his former player and believes Tavernier can always contribute to the team. “I know Tav so well. I’ve said enough things, Tav knows – huge respect for him as a person and a player. “He’s come through some tough times, he’s had a lot of criticism thrown at him, and he’s weathered the storm. “He’s just a genuinely good person. I would love to see him stay. Maybe, it’s a chance for him to go and get a payday somewhere, not in terms of being greedy, but his career will come to an end sooner rather than later. “But I’d just love to see him stay at Rangers and he can always contribute on and off the field, on the bench, on the training pitch, he’s someone who will give everything for Rangers.” The right-back has been a main stay in the Gers starting 11 since 2015 and Warburton believes there needs to be more people in the game that have a similar attitude and approach to their craft like Tavernier does. “I can’t remember Tav ever missing a training session, let alone a game. “He enjoys his trade and there’s loads of players that don’t enjoy it enough and they don’t realise the privilege they’ve got of being a player but Tav has never lost sight of that fact. “Always smiled, from the first time I spoke to him – it was a smile and you go ‘yes the guy loves it’ it’s infectious. “I just think he’s good around the club. He’s been a huge contributor to Rangers now over the last ten or 11 years or more. “But I just think for me, he’s an asset and assets are hard to find and I would love to see the club and Tav come to some sort of an agreement that works for both parties.

‘We have the quality to win the league’ – Danny Rohl talks up the quality of his potential title winning team

Danny Rohl believes his side have the quality to go all the way and win the Scottish Premiership title as the German head coach talks up Rangers’ chances.  The Ibrox club face Dundee United tomorrow and have the opportunity to go top of the league for the first time in TWO years. Rohl’s men have won their last two games and are only two points behind league leaders Hearts, who play Livingston on Sunday. Speaking ahead of the clash against United, the Rangers boss said his squad are in a strong place mentally. He said: “I’m happy, I feel really good because I see my group at the moment, I see the development, I think we are mentally strong. “Even if you go away, we took the win against St Mirren, the pressure was on after two draws, but we came back, and we made a very good performance against Aberdeen. “It gives me a lot of belief, there is no doubt, my group is strong – I’m convinced we have the quality to win the league. “It’s a good feeling but the best feeling should be after the game when we win the game and we are top. “We have to work hard for that. We played Dundee United two times this year and we couldn’t win against them, and this is a new challenge. “They did well against Celtic, we are prepared for this, we know what we face tomorrow and it will be a challenge.”

Mark Warburton believes that Celtic are OUT of the title race and tips Rangers to be crowned champions

Former Rangers manager Mark Warburton believes Celtic are out of the Scottish Premiership title race and fancies his old club to win the league. This season has been one for the ages as Hearts, Rangers and Celtic are all competing for the title. It’s tight at the top as Derek McInnes’ men are two points ahead of the Light Blues and five ahead of the Parkhead club. The Hoops’ title hopes took a massive blow after losing 2-0 to Dundee United at Tannadice just before the international break. Danny Rohl’s men made it two wins on the bounce after a dominant 4-1 display over Aberdeen. One man who knows Scottish football and the Ibrox club well is Mark Warburton, and speaking on the GersNet Podcast – he was full of praise for how well the Jambos have done this season but fancies the Gers to be crowned champions this May. “Normally, without being rude it’s normally a two horse race. “So the interest, obviously the involvement of Tony Bloom, and what he brings to the club in terms of recruitment. “That will not have been missed by the Rangers board I’m sure. “It’s all about recruitment, it’s the quality of recruitment, accessing markets, finding players of value and Tony Bloom and Matthew Benham in Brighton and Brentford are the two very best. “So, I think that’s a game changer, we’re seeing that already in Scotland and that will certainly put Rangers and Celtic on their heels and they have to respond – you have to respond to that because if you let someone get ahead they won’t just sit on their lead. “They will certainly keep pushing in terms of quality of players they’re bringing in and investment et cetera. “It’s great for the neutral watching it and it’s coming down really tight and obviously there has been some shock results – there seems to be a shock result every weekend but right now I think it’s between Rangers and Hearts. “Celtic won’t like me saying that but it’s between Rangers and Hearts, in my humble opinion and I fancy Rangers. “I just think at the final hurdle they’ve got enough to get it over the line.” Warburton spent two years at the Govan club and got them promoted back to the Premiership in 2016. The former Brentford manager is currently the President of American footballing side Sporting Jax of the United Soccer League

Double awards for Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti

Youssef Chermiti has been named the Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for February and also picked up the Goal of the Month award after his breathtaking overhead kick against Celtic. The Rangers striker and has been under the microscope since joining the Light Blues for £8 million last summer from Everton. The 21-year-old has bagged a total of nine goals in 29 appearances for the Ibrox club and scored a brace against the Hoops in back-to-back Old Firm games. Chermiti scored his first professional hat-trick in the Gers’ 4-2 victory over league leaders Hearts last month. Speaking to the Rangers club website, the Portugal under-21 international spoke of his delight after picking up two awards. “I am delighted to win both awards. “My first goal against Celtic is something that will live with me forever. As a striker, you want to play and score in these games, and thankfully, I have been able to do that several times this season. “But I couldn’t have achieved anything without my teammates and the staff here at Rangers, who have helped me settle at the club. “Now I want to repay them and the supporters by continuing to score goals and help us win matches.”

‘Yes it would be a shame for all of us’ – Danny Rohl fears Rangers and Celtic away ban

Danny Rohl admits that he doesn’t want to see away fans barred from Old Firm games after the ugly scenes in last Sunday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final.  Celtic defeated Rangers 4-2 on penalties but the result was overshadowed as both sets of supporters stormed the pitch after the game. It was the largest travelling Hoops support at Ibrox in eight years but it’s safe to say that we won’t be seeing 7,500 away fans in this fixture anytime soon. The Light Blues have been granted an allocation of 2,500 for the final Old Firm derby of the season at Parkhead. The SFA have launched an independent investigation into the events from last Sunday and plan to ‘ensure’ it doesn’t happen again. In his pre match press conference ahead of the clash against St Mirren, Rohl fears that the away allocation could be cut altogether. “Yes, it would be a shame for us – for all of us. “Since I have been here, I have really enjoyed this game with the supporters at both ends. I think this is great. “If you are away or at home, it makes football exciting and hopefully it can carry on. But, of course, if such things happen then you have to be careful because it could be that there is a consequence. “I think that nobody likes to see this sort of thing. It was for over 120 minutes an exciting game with lots of big emotion, on the pitch, off the pitch. That’s what we want. “Then after, we only talk about the situation on the pitch that shouldn’t have happened. “I wouldn’t say it opened my eyes – that is the wrong word – but nobody likes to see this. “The emotional part during the game was great. It makes the atmosphere in the stadium. And I think everyone should take responsibility and that we can keep going with this. “I think there is an investigation and they will look for things. There will be some consequences but let’s see what this is.” There’s nine games left in the season for the Ibrox club as they trail league leaders Hearts by six points and the Gers head coach knows his side can’t afford to drop anymore points.

‘If we play like the 50 minutes that we did – then the 7,500 will be quiet’ – Rohl aims to silence the Celtic fans

Danny Rohl aims to silence the 7,500 travelling Celtic fans in this Sunday’s Old Firm Scottish Cup quarter-final showdown at Ibrox. It will be the largest Celtic support at Ibrox in eight years. The Light Blues currently trail Hearts by six points and have only won one of their last four games. Rohl’s men blew a 2-0 lead to the Celts last week after dominating the first half but conceded a late equaliser as Reo Hatate scored from the penalty rebound to salvage a point. The German head coach was asked in his pre match press conference if the Hoops’ allocation will have an impact on the game “Of course it will have. But if we play 50 minutes like we did then the 7,500 will also be quiet. “I think this is the part in the game where you feel it. We influence, we can influence, we can make the impact on our performance on the pitch. “The atmosphere was incredible for 50 minutes, really incredible. It was amazing to feel this. “We pushed our players forward, forward. Then it comes to 2-1 and you feel it in the stadium as well. But this is also part of the game. Maybe we can do it together, that we come through these small minutes where you feel the opponent comes in better into the game. But this 50 minutes was really, really outstanding. I really enjoyed this, to be in the touchline in such a game.” The 36-year-old knows that if the Ibrox club are to progress to the semi-finals they can’t have a drop off in performance like last week. “I think when you ask me how should be a Rangers team in the future all the time, then we bring our level versus Hearts and also versus Celtic in a really good way. “This is the most important key, I said this many times. If we can do this, keep going, then it will be tough to beat us in the future.”

Regardless of what happens this season, Danny Rohl is the RIGHT man to take Rangers forward – Scott Bradley

After Rangers blew a 2-0 lead against Celtic, Danny Rohl has come under-fire from the Ibrox faithful with some having doubts if he is the right man to take the club forward.  There is no doubt that the Old Firm result felt like a defeat for the Light Blues due to the comfortable position they found themselves in. Rohl’s side dominated the Hoops in the first half and it looked like they were on course to getting back-to-back victories against their bitter rivals. It was the complete opposite from the Gers in the second half as they sat off the Parkhead club and allowed them to grow back into the game with Reo Hatate scoring at the death to salvage an all important point. After the match, Rohl said he and the group were disappointed in the result but remained defiant that his players have the mentality to win the Scottish Premiership. To put it bluntly: it was a bottle job from Rohl’s men in that second half – simple as that. The Celts were wounded and were there for the taking. It was a huge missed opportunity and the Celtic boss admitted after the game when his side were 2-0 down going into half time that the title race looked rather ‘daunting’ for the Scottish champions. Rohl’s in game management has received criticism and rightly so as Rangers have failed to kill games off. The Light Blues were all over the place in the second half and couldn’t string simple passes together. It was obvious as soon as Kieran Tierney pulled one back that they were going to snatch something from the game. The decision to not bring James Tavernier on was a baffling call from Rohl. I understand that the Rangers captain can’t play every game as he is going to be 35 this year, but he’s the most experienced player at the club and knows this fixture inside out. Tavernier would have brought a calming presence to the side – something Rangers desperately needed. Youssef Chermiti bagged a brace and scored one of the best Old Firm goals of all time. However, in the second half, Rohl took Ryan Naderi off who was accommodating Chermiti excellently but after that call – he was non-existent up front. Despite some of the justified criticism Rohl has received after Sunday, he has still done an unbelievable job. Do some Rangers fans have short memories? Five months ago the Ibrox club were eighth in the table and looked dead and buried in the title race. Since Rohl’s appointment, Rangers are the most inform team in the league with 48 points and now have a great chance to win their 56th title – something that seemed impossible only a few months ago. The 36-year-old has worked wonders with a bang average squad and is getting results. He’s brought the feel-good factor back to the club and Ibrox is an enjoyable place to go to now. The title race this season has been one for the ages – it’s been box office and it’s still all up for grabs. Some of the criticism has been way over the top towards Rohl. Rohl has shown enough that he is the RIGHT man to bring the glory days back to Ibrox. Regardless of what happens this season, he deserves next season to build his own squad. It’s going to be a mouth watering end to the season and the Ibrox faithful need to fully back the team and their head coach as they need it more than ever if they are to be crowned champions this May.