Rangers captain James Tavernier has faced up to the fact that he started the 2024-25 season much slower than he expected to.
And after finally finding some form throughout December by chipping in with goals, assists and important defensive responsibilities, a near three-week injury setback further derailed his campaign.
Tavernier was a guest on the talkSPORT breakfast show and co-host Ally McCoist was eager to find out how the 33-year-old deemed his own recent performances and get a deeper dive into the way he's adapted under current Rangers manager Philippe Clement, who admitted the experienced defender wasn't impressed that his minutes had been reduced over the past six months.
McCoist began by asking, "What about your own form, James? Are you happy with it? because people would not believe actually, if I'm being brutally honest, that your goalscoring record from that particular position is nothing short of remarkable. Are you happy with your own form?"
The ex-Rangers striker went on to reference Tavernier's relationship with Connor Goldson, who was allowed to leave Ibrox in the summer, and suggested that the strong bond with his centre-back helped his overall contributions.
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"Yeah, me and Connor had a really good relationship," Tavernier said.
"We played a good four or five years with each other and we had an understanding. He just let me bomb up and down the pitch.
“Especially when Gio [van Bronckhorst] came in, he just gave us an unlimited licence to go forward, and that's probably when you see us arriving at that back post a lot more.
"Obviously this season you would have a complete different set-up with the team, so it's just about adapting.
"Personally, I think I started the season off slow from what I normally am. I didn't get a pre-season like normal then I started finding some form and got injured. It's now about finding that form again and pushing the boys on."
McCoist wouldn't allow the chat to end there as he revealed that he was heading over to Paris Saint-Germain versus Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night before providing commentary on Rangers' Europa League showdown with Manchester United the following evening.
While it's confirmed that the Rangers icon will be present at the upcoming Battle of Britain fixture, he couldn't resist making a playful request to the Light Blues skipper.
Tavernier began answering to a question about a large Rangers support heading down to Manchester, stating: "The lucky ones will get tickets. I believe there's going to be a lot of people..."
McCoist then chimed in, telling the Rangers right-back: "I'm needing two off of you by the way!"
"Maybe, you're a bit too late now," Tavernier laughed.
McCoist, reaffirming his stance, replied: "You think I'm joking - I'm not joking!"
