Tav slaughters Rangers recruitment but forgets his own failings | OneFootball

James Tavernier’s fury as Rangers captain blasts teammates after Rangers’ humiliation in Norway summed up the shambles. The captain cut a raging figure, spitting out words that dripped with disgust. His reaction, the strongest yet in his Ibrox tenure, formed the backbone of the Rangers captain blasts teammates narrative. Yet for all his anger, his words exposed his own failings too.

Tavernier’s rage erupts

He branded the performance “disgraceful” and claimed it was the worst he had seen in years. He spoke about pride, fight and standards. He demanded every player show more hunger and more heart. For once, it felt like he had snapped. That pent-up frustration had finally boiled over, as Rangers fans watched their captain lose control.

But words are cheap. Rangers supporters have heard the same speeches for years. Every collapse brings more passion in front of cameras and the same passivity on the pitch. Tavernier might sound furious, yet the proof lies in what happens between the white lines.

The hypocrisy runs deep

All three goals against Brann came down his side. Time and again, he was caught too high, too wide, too slow to recover. The same old defensive lapses that have haunted Rangers resurfaced. For a man so enraged about standards, his own defending continues to fail them. That’s the reality even his words on Rangers’ official site can’t disguise.

It’s one thing to talk about leadership. It’s another to show it. True leaders don’t wait until the defeat to find their voice. They organise, direct and demand long before disaster hits. Tavernier has worn the armband for years, but his control over this side has never looked weaker. Even the wider media, like Breaking the Lines, once defended him. That defence looks hollow now.

A captain’s credibility is gone

He told reporters that every man should “look at themselves much, much harder.” He’s right. But that mirror also includes him. The team has collapsed under his watch too many times. He has led Rangers through repeated humiliations in Europe, and nothing changes. Inside Ibrox covered the same pattern before Brann, and he did nothing to prevent it.

Fans have every right to feel disillusioned. His anger might be real, but so is the hypocrisy. He criticises a lack of aggression, yet his flank remains the softest target every opponent exploits. He demands pride, yet the badge has rarely felt so diminished under his leadership.

Rangers need more than speeches and fury. They need accountability. They need a captain who defends as fiercely as he talks. Until that day comes, the Rangers captain blasts teammates episode will join the long list of empty words from a man whose armband has lost its meaning.