'Pull it on': Rangers chief delivers James Tavernier botched farewell verdict and update on testimonial
It was Rohl call on team, says chairman - and we all could have handled it better
Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh believes everyone at Ibrox could have handled captain James Tavernier’s farewell better - but said when a player gets told to put on a Rangers shirt, they should do so.
Tavernier was originally named as a substitute for his last match at Ibrox against Hibs last Wednesday by head coach Danny Rohl. However, the out-of-contract right-back decided to withdraw from the squad and only appeared in his suit to receive an award from Rangers legend John Greig before vacating the premises.
Tavernier issued a statement on Thursday saying that he had delayed treatment on an injury to play in the game against Hibs and said he expected Rangers boss Rohl to start him, lamenting a lack of communication. It was a bitter end for a player who spent 11 years at Ibrox and started more than 500 games for the club.
Cavenagh was asked for his version of events and he explained “Tav is a legend, a hall of famer at the club and incredibly important to us. The game on Wednesday, we knew it was going to be our last match for us and so incredibly important. So the club prepared a series of events to celebrate his time at the club.
“We had a pre-season presentation with John Greig, he was on the front and back of the programme, there was a video tribute etc. So we knew it would be a great time to honour his time at the club.
“The decision to start or not start him was Danny’s. And Danny obviously ultimately not top start him. The club chose not to intervene and in general we’ve tried to separate what the club is doing to celebrate somebody and sporting [decisions].
“So at the same time from Tav’s perspective it was an incredibly emotional night, his last night at Rangers having been here 11 years. So I think two rational people could argue that Jim or I should have stepped in to force Danny to start him. And I think everybody would understand why Tav would be emotional about the situation.
“But that’s where I also want to say a couple of things on behalf of the club that are really important. When you are asked to pull on a Rangers jersey, you pull it on. No questions asked.
“And in any organisation, sporting or not, you will have disagreements and when you do, first thing you do is talk about it and try to solve it before making decisions. And in a sports organisation, as I think we all know, I think it’s important that those are kept behind closed doors.
“We’re not blind. Wednesday was not a good look for anybody. No-one came out of that looking positive. And we would always look to put the club first.
“But none of that changes how Tav’s legacy, none of that changes our opinion of Tav. From my perspective it’s water under the bridge and we’re moving forward. We will continue to celebrate Tav’s history and we will have a great relationship with Tav going forward.
“I think we would all look back and wish the outcome was different than the way it was. But I don’t want to get into too many details because what I just said is what I mean - this should all have been kept behind closed doors and not have spilled out into the public because it’s a black eye for the club. We’ll put a line under it and move forward in a positive way.
Asked if Tavernier would receive a testimonial, Cavenagh added: “Again, Tav is a hall of famer who deserves to be celebrated and we’re talking to his team about what is the right way to do that. But there is nothing but positivity about Tav’s time here.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.