Rangers star earns rousing support after 'unfair' criticism as insider well aware of ace's ultimate Ibrox goal

Steven Davis says James Tavernier will be desperate for more trophies as Rangers captain with the club heading into a crucial week of action.

The Light Blues face Dundee on Wednesday night in a Premiership clash of paramount importance, after a 3-2 defeat to Ross County. Defeat in their game in hand would leave them four points adrift of Celtic in the title race but victory pulls them within a point of their rivals.

Then it’s Hearts at Hampden on semi-final business as they look to book a place in the Scottish Cup final. Davis was part of the last Rangers team to lift the trophy back in 2022, during a 2-0 win over the Jambos after extra-time, with Tavernier the captain on that day.

The long-serving right-back has been the subject of criticism during his time at Ibrox and former teammate Davis reckons it’s harsh. One thing that won’t change is the skipper’s steely determination for success. He said: “I think Tav deals with the pressure really well as I think there is a lot of scrutiny on him.

“He’s the captain of the club and everything that comes with that there. He seems to get a lot of criticism pointed towards him when things don’t go well. Whether that’s personally or collectively, a lot of it seems to be aimed at him a lot of the time.

“I think it’s unfair. I think he’s been very consistent player over his time at the club. Unfortunaley we all know the landscape of being here, it is what it is and Tav accepts that. The way he leads in terms of his level of performance has been very good. The goals and assists he’s got are incredible stats, never mind as a full-back.

“He puts himself out there every week and no matter what is being asked or what is pointed against him, he just has to try and focus on himself and leading the team, which he does well. We would all like more trophies and Tav is no different to that.”

Davis is well aware of the importance of Sunday’s clash with Hearts. The former midfielder who retired this season after a stint as interim Rangers manager said: “It’s a game both teams will be looking forward to. Rangers results this season against Hearts have been good, the performances have been good, but this is a one-off game. It will be a tough but I do expect Rangers to have enough to get through to the final.”

"Steven Davis was promoting Premier Sport’s live and exclusive coverage of Rangers v Hearts on Sunday. Premier Sports is available to stream from premiersports.com or via your TV provider on Sky, Virgin TV and Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.”