‘Incredible’… Nacho Novo now thinks Rangers star finally gets credit he deserves

The Spaniard is undoubtedly speaking from experience. Novo understood what it required to represent Rangers, having played 229 times for the club from 2004 to 2010, scoring 62 goals. And the 44-year-old believes James Tavernier’s bulletproof mentality is one of the reasons the skipper has been such a tremendous leader for the club in recent years.

Tavernier has been at the center of both Rangers’ best and worst moments since being named captain by former manager Steven Gerrard in 2018. He was frequently chastised by Gers supporters for lacking leadership characteristics during a period of Celtic domestic dominance.

Rangers would be far worse off without Tavernier. In less than three years, he has led the squad to three domestic championships — the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup, and Viaplay Cup – and, more importantly, he has become a scoring sensation from right-back.

Tavernier now has 116 goals for Rangers, the most recent of which being the winner against Aberdeen when the team finally won the League Cup after 12 years.

Tavernier’s excellent abilities have been lauded by Andy Halliday, Barry Robson, and Aberdeen icon Willie Miller in recent weeks, with Novo now adding to that list.
Nacho Novo spoke with the Daily Record about James Tavernier, praising his mentality and goal contributions. Novo also believes Tavernier is now more regarded among Rangers fans than he was previously.

“Tav is incredible,” the former Rangers forward stated. He is a leader, and it can be difficult for him to wear the armband when things aren’t going well. In Glasgow, you may be both the finest and the worst!

“But Tav is so mentally strong, and he is finally getting the credit he deserves from Rangers fans and others who realize that scoring so many goals and getting so many assists from right back is incredible.” And they aren’t all fines!”

As the Old Firm game against Celtic approaches, Novo’s words can only strengthen Tavernier’s confidence.
Our captain is at the pinnacle of his abilities, having scored 15 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions this season.

Manager Philippe Clement would like him to conjure up another great moment at Celtic Park on Saturday and put Rangers in a fantastic position heading into the New Year.

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