GARY McALLISTER insists James Tavernier is the right captain for Rangers.
Tav came under fire at times last season, with
some fans calling for the defender to be stripped of the armband.
But McAllister insists he, and gaffer Steven Gerrard, have total faith in the full-back and he will be vital to any success in this campaign.
Rangers won just two of their last six domestic games before lockdown — ending their league and Scottish Cup dream.
McAllister says they can’t afford to do the same this season with
Celtic out to win ten in a row.
He said: “We trust the captain.
“He’s set some very high standards in terms of goal scoring and assists.
“You look at his numbers and what he provides for us and he’s a key player.
“A lot of our attacking structure — you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see where our game is built. He plays a massive part in that and I like that he takes on that responsibility.
“We do ask him to go and go and over the piece, I think he’s a good captain.
“Everyone has to embrace what is a massive challenge to stop a team from winning ten leagues in a row but we’re up for the battle.
“Making a good start is imperative and we’ve got to come out the traps and start the season well and then maintain it.
“There’s been a lot of good — last season in particular there was some excellent stuff — but lockdown gave all of us a chance to reflect on the four or five results that caused the gap and we want to put that right and make it super competitive.”
One man who will be vital to Rangers’ success will be Ryan Kent.
The winger arrived in a £7million deal from Liverpool last summer following a stunning loan spell.
But despite some key performances and goals, the 23-year-old never seemed to win over some of his critics.
McAllister said: “Ryan’s one of our big players and criticism is part of being a big player at a big club.
“When results go the other way you tend to look at the star player within the group and he’s one of our blue-chip players.
“But I’ve known Ryan for a while and even though there were times I felt the criticism was a bit unfair I didn’t see a player hiding.
“He’s a young man and he’s come back looking sharp so a wee run of form or goals and he’ll be fine.
“We’re now seeing a player, who has loads of potential and can still improve, but who has become a man. And as he becomes mature, you will see more mature performances.”
Despite restoring Rangers’ reputation in Europe, Gerrard has failed to win a trophy in his first two seasons in charge.
McAllister knows how desperate his former Liverpool team-mate is to bring success to Ibrox but they will be judged on how many trophies they win.
He added: “That hunger and desire to win — he’s got it even more so now.
“He’s worked his entire life and career at those levels.
“We’ve got to win. You can break it all down but the easiest way to say things is ‘we’ve got to try to win’.
“We will only be judged on winning.”
