Rangers boss Gerrard shouldv’e kept Tavernier on penalties – not tinker with it, says Kris Boyd

dh1963

Well-Known Member
Ask Allan McGregor how many of my penalties he saved in training at Rangers.

Greegsy will tell you he got a hand to plenty.

But there weren’t many he actually stopped with my technique from the spot which was always simple and straightforward. Grab it and smash it.

Nine times out of ten that’s good enough to find the net so for the life of me I can’t understand why players try to be too clever these days.

Maybe it’s typical of what’s been happening at Rangers this season with people thinking they are better than they are.

Steven Gerrard’s team got back to basics in Portugal the other night and it got them into the last 16 of the Europa League.

It should be a reminder of what can happen if you just do the simple things in the game well.

But the penalty Ianis Hagi missed was the latest in a long line of misses and it has to stop. That’s SIX now this season which is just embarrassing.

James Tavernier started off the season as Rangers penalty taker and Steven Gerrard should never have taken the responsibility off his skipper.

Tav missed a few, sure.

But his overall record from the spot has been good down the years and changing the taker did no one any good.

Gerrard shouldn’t have tinkered with it. He should have backed Tav and told everyone he had complete faith in him, no matter what.

That would have allowed him to relax more and deal with the couple of mishaps. Instead the onus was on Alfredo Morelos at the next Rangers penalty.

He scored one then missed against Celtic at Hampden in the League Cup Final with Scott Arfield next up. He missed against Hamilton. And on it went.

Hagi was the team’s fifth penalty taker this season — Jermain Defoe has scored one — and incredibly he couldn’t score either when it mattered most.

So what next? Gerrard joked he might need to take the next one but this is now a serious issue for Rangers.

What he should be doing is telling Tavernier he’s back on the penalties again and will be staying on them regardless.

I’d bet that would make all the difference when the next one is awarded.

Rangers were fortunate Hagi’s miss didn’t prove fatal as Braga could easily have been boosted by that.

Thankfully Gerrard’s side had a determination to get through to the next round, which was brilliant to see.

I was pleased for Ryan Kent because he’s been under pressure lately with his performances.

I’ve been critical of him but I also had a degree of sympathy — because Rangers’ problems weren’t down to him.

I have read a lot about the forward players letting the team down but that’s utter nonsense. It’s been the defence that’s been at fault. No question.

Put it this way, there weren’t many people who saw that defensive display coming in Portugal but Connor Goldson and George Edmundson were both outstanding.

The reason for that was they kept things simple.

Goldson has been guilty of trying to overplay lately and show everyone he’s a good player. But what he’s good at is clearing any danger when it comes.

That’s what the best defenders in the world do.

People go on about Virgil van Dijk and how good he’s been for Liverpool for the past two seasons — and he has been incredible — but if you actually watch him in action he doesn’t do anything fancy.

If Liverpool are under pressure, van Dijk heads it and kicks it away from his goal as far as he possibly can.

He’s not afraid to just dump the ball into the opposition’s half and play from there.

That’s what big Davie Weir did on our run to the Uefa Cup Final back in Manchester in 2008.

We didn’t go all the way that year by playing open and attractive football.

Our game was based entirely on defending and being organised. And if that was good enough for Walter Smith it should be good enough for Gerrard.

Rangers’ problem against St Johnstone last weekend was that they didn’t do the basics well enough.

At the times when they should have just cleared the danger they tried to bring it down and play, and that’s just asking for trouble. Which they got.

In Portugal, they were organised as a defensive unit but what I liked more than anything was that they didn’t take risks on the ball.

Edmundson came into the team for Nikola Katic and did really, really well but I wouldn’t write off Katic just yet.

I still believe he’s good enough for Rangers and maybe a spell on the sidelines is what he needs to get his focus back again.

But that’s what Rangers need as a team when they go to Tynecastle. This Scottish Cup tie is massive for them.

They need to have the same mentality they had against Braga. But let’s see what happens if they get a penalty.

Will Hagi get another crack at it or will Gerrard see sense and realise his best man for the job is the one who was on them before the season started?

I hope whoever gets the nod takes my advice.

Honestly, ask Greegsy what kind of penalty he would prefer to be up against. One where the taker tries to place it, or one where the taker picks a corner and blasts it?

I know exactly which I preferred as a player. No one will ever convince me otherwise.
 
He missed his fair share and hasn’t stepped up since so clearly isn’t confident. What is it about that which people find so difficult to grasp?

I’m also not sure why Boyd’s penalty record in training is relevant to anything. His penalty record in actual games was good so he could have referenced that haha.
 
He missed his fair share and hasn’t stepped up since so clearly isn’t confident. What is it about that which people find so difficult to grasp?

I’m also not sure why Boyd’s penalty record in training is relevant to anything. His penalty record in actual games was good so he could have referenced that haha.
Do we know Tav doesn't want to take them rather than Gerrard taking him off it?

Regardless. Tav should've stayed on pens and a few misses doesn't hurt yet his amazing record on them
 
He missed his fair share and hasn’t stepped up since so clearly isn’t confident. What is it about that which people find so difficult to grasp?

I’m also not sure why Boyd’s penalty record in training is relevant to anything. His penalty record in actual games was good so he could have referenced that haha.
He's missed 4 out of 26 I think.


I could be wrong though.
 
Do we know Tav doesn't want to take them rather than Gerrard taking him off it?

Regardless. Tav should've stayed on pens and a few misses doesn't hurt yet his amazing record on them

Given Gerrard’s fondness of Tavernier, refusal to ever drop him or criticise him during his most difficult moments I’d be stunned if it transpired that he was stopping him from going back on penalty duty, especially as captain.

He seems to me like the type of coach who’d let the players decide and let the most confident player step up (the way it should be in my opinion). With Tav’s last few penalties he looked anything but confident.
 
He missed his fair share and hasn’t stepped up since so clearly isn’t confident. What is it about that which people find so difficult to grasp?

I’m also not sure why Boyd’s penalty record in training is relevant to anything. His penalty record in actual games was good so he could have referenced that haha.

He did miss his fair share but I don't think 'he hasn't stepped up since' is necessarily true. Both Tav & Gerrard have said a number of times, pretty much since he was taken off them, that he wants to take them. Gerrard has taken him off them.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing though, so it's easy to say now he should have stayed on them. Something was wrong with Tav at the start of the season – either his bad form was making him miss penalties or his penalty misses were feeding his bad form (or both).

I'd give Hagi another go and if that doesn't work go back to Tav.
 
He did miss his fair share but I don't think 'he hasn't stepped up since' is necessarily true. Both Tav & Gerrard have said a number of times, pretty much since he was taken off them, that he wants to take them. Gerrard has taken him off them.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing though, so it's easy to say now he should have stayed on them. Something was wrong with Tav at the start of the season – either his bad form was making him miss penalties or his penalty misses were feeding his bad form (or both).

I'd give Hagi another go and if that doesn't work go back to Tav.

Is that true? Fair enough, I genuinely never thought Gerrard would be the type to dictate something like that. But yeah when he missed a few in quick succession he just never looked confident.

For me it should always be whoever is confident, if Hagi still fancies himself next time we get one then let him go for it again.
 
Is that true? Fair enough, I genuinely never thought Gerrard would be the type to dictate something like that. But yeah when he missed a few in quick succession he just never looked confident.

For me it should always be whoever is confident, if Hagi still fancies himself next time we get one then let him go for it again.

Yeah, Gerrard has mentioned it on a number of occasions (that Tav is still lurking about wanting to take them).

I think Hagi will still be confident – he should be getting the next for me.
 
Hindsight is a great thing our penalty taker is Tav but it looks like he maybe bottled it instead of taking responsibility but hey ho we got through to the next round.
 
Hagi didn't miss, it was a world class stop by the keeper.
If it was Tav he would be slaughtered on here.

The penalty situation is concerning. Whether it’s Tav, Alfie or Shagger we need to rely on someone to put it away. Taking turns doesn’t seem to be helping matters
 
Tav should be taking them. He had a bad spell but before that he was outstanding from the spot.

People saying Hagi wasnt a bad penalty, it wasnt even near the corner. The keeper almost dived past it as it was pretty central. Yes it was a decent save and he got plenty power in the strike but some people making out like it was a world class save.
 
I think Defoe would be our best option, but given he doesn't start every week he can't really be considered.

If Hagi is out already (personally think he should be given another chance) It has to be Tav, or maybe try Barisic.

Failing that, just say f*ck it and let McGregor have a go
 
The penalties tav has missed have all hit the post and I think in all of those he sent the keeper the wrong way. He has great technique and if he wants to take them he should do
 
Nae bother dick


Lmao

Boyd must post on here
 
Tav has been an inch away from scoring all the ones he's missed this season. I think every one he's missed has hit the post.
 
You can't compare scoring countless penalties in training with ones that matter.

I do agree though it should be back to Tav. He missed a few, so he needed a break. But he's the captain, and was prolific from the spot before, so its time to step back up.
 
He missed his fair share and hasn’t stepped up since so clearly isn’t confident. What is it about that which people find so difficult to grasp?
Gerrard said after the cup game it was his decision to take Tav off penalties and put Morelos on them.

Then more recently, before the Hagi miss, Tav said he's been practicing them in training and is ready to step up if the gaffer puts him back on pens.
 
Last edited:
It's becoming a big deal because we keep changing the taker after a miss. Man City have been in the same situation. Man United as well when they alternated between Pogba and Rashford.
Hagi needs to take the next one imo assuming Defoe is not on the pitch.
 
I think the gaffer needs to pick someone and stick with it. I don’t think chopping and changing is helping.
I would let Hagi or Borna them
 
I would prefer Tav to be back on them with Morelos as the #2.

Figure out the rest with regards penalty shootouts.
 
Hagi didn't miss, it was a world class stop by the keeper.

Hagi's penalty was poor. It's certainly wasn't a world class save.

I'd give it back to the captain, step up, lead by example and smash the ball home.

Either that or live Gerrard said, give it to him. He sends the one against the bheggars and in Braga, into the back of the net.

It's what Gerrard as a player done. Delivered when it mattered.
 
no one knows ........ if Tav had taken the cup final penalty and missed i scare to think where he'd be at in his head , i somehow think a penalty will make our season at some point .........football is like that
 
Tav had to be taken off them for his own good as the fans were baying for his blood back then due to his howlers at YB and Tynecastle,another miss around that time and i dread to think how it would have went?

He has said in interviews he's ready to go back on them when required,it's now up to Gerrard to give him them back or appoint whoever is next in line.
 
Nae bother dick



You're consistent (unlike those 2 articles), every Boyd article you find a way to slag him.

Anyone who watched his second spell with us can probably sympathise with those who obviously dislike the man, but these days he's one of the very few in the media who nail their Rangers colours to the mast and there are plenty others who should be getting ripped apart on here before Boyd.
 
We lost both goals last week because the centre half tried to boot or head the ball away and screwed it up. So what's he talking about with taking the ball down and playing it?
 
Nae bother dick



Good work! I just knew he'd have contradicted himself at some stage!!
 
I was talking to my son about this a few weeks ago I believe just like in open play form can dip as can with taking penalties and that Tav should continue regardless!

Incidentally that save from Hagi was phenominal!
 
Nae bother dick


Fucking hell, they actually get paid for this garbage
 
Back
Top