Is James Tavernier Fit To Be Captain?

James Tavernier was named captain by Steven Gerrard, but with some of the season underway, was it the right decision?

Before anything else, it should be made abundantly clear. James Tavernier is a very good player who remains an immense asset for Rangers. Just this season the defensive back already has put in 3 goals and has an assist as well in 13 competitive matches. Last season he scored 8 goals and had 8 assists over 43 appearances.

The thing is, being a very good player is not the only criteria to be captain, especially for such a hallowed club as Rangers.

Being a captain is about leadership. It’s about arriving every day to work hard and putting forth that effort on the pitch to lead by example. It isn’t clear at this point that Tavernier is the man for that job.

Tavernier is remarkably talented with the ball at his feet, especially for a defender. His ability to push the ball up from the back is one of the primary ways in which he is such a valuable piece. This does mean that he often is neglecting his duties at the back line.

In a vacuum that isn’t the big issue though. Tavernier is a highly skilled defensive player, it would be a poor usage of his skill to not allow him the freedom to push forward and attack on offense. Obviously, him going forward will leave him out of defensive position, but the team mostly schemes for such an occasion and another player is ready to cover for him. Simply spending so much time forward is not the issue.

The issue is that Tavernier is, far too often, not quick to get back on defense. Once again, there are times where it is a simple reality that he will not make it back. It is a trade-off you accept with a player like Tavernier. But when he is wearing the captain’s armband he has to make those instances as far and few between as he possibly can.

Beyond his inability to get back in time is the fact that he is often not all that good on defense even when he is there. His (relatively) short stature does limit him somewhat, but he is often undisciplined and reckless with his defending. Captains lead by example, and when your captain is prone to a loose and undisciplined style it is not unlikely that the team will follow his example.

On the other hand, it is not difficult to see Steven Gerrard’s logic in appointing Tavernier to captain. Tavernier is one of the longest-tenured players left with the club after Gerrard overhauled the roster, and of those who are holdovers, he appears to be the one most likely to be starting every game other than Alfredo Morelos. And with Morelos, there is no question about his fit for captaincy, he clearly isn’t until he gets his temper in control.

As such, it left Gerrard with a difficult decision: Appoint a flawed/unideal player to the captaincy, give the armband to a player who will often be out of the lineup, or anoint one of the brand new players. Given the size of the club, it is understandable that Gerrard was hesitant to make a brand new player captain, although he did make Connor Goldson the vice-captain.

For now, Tavernier probably makes the most sense. Purely on paper, either one of Goldson or Katic would make for an ideal captian. Both players are the sort of no-nonsense defenders that fit into the role perfectly. But niether player has played with a club like Rangers before, so for now, Tavernier is an imperfect, but probably best option, for the arm-band.