ian1964 10,613 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 insisting he has unfinished business at Ibrox The full-back set the record straight as he spoke of his desire to win trophies and titles with the Light Blues. By Andy Devlin JAMES TAVERNIER ended speculation over his Ibrox future — insisting he has unfinished business at Rangers. The 26-year-old slammed the door shut on a shock January exit after helping Graeme Murty’s men to a third win over Aberdeen in just eight weeks. The full-back was linked with a move to Sunderland amid reports he was keen on a return south. But Tav, who has 18 months of his current contract to run, set the record straight as he spoke of his desire to win trophies and titles at Gers. He said: “I don’t like to get into speculation. I’m fully committed to Rangers. I’m still learning here and I’m still growing here. “I’m still under contract for another 18 months so I’m really happy here. “I came here to win trophies. Also, in all the Old Firm games I’ve played, I’ve only been on the winning side once. “I want to win more of them now. I have unfinished business here as a Rangers player. Whether I can extend my contract is down to the club. “I’ll have to wait and see.” Tavernier — a Mark Warburton signing from Wigan back in 2015 — is now among the longest-serving players at Ibrox. Murty’s new-look side put on an emphatic display against the Dons on Wednesday to move up into second in the table. Afterwards, the Gers boss told the Ibrox faithful they’re in at the start of something big. Tavernier agrees with his gaffer’s assessment — setting his sights on the club’s first major piece of silverware in seven years. He added: “We have to bring silverware to the club. “The new additions have brought quality to the team so I believe that silverware is a minimum requirement for this club. We are going in the right direction. “We have shown it in the big games but now we have to show it in every single game, the levels of performance we can put in.” All four of Murty’s January signings were involved in the impressive win over Aberdeen. And Tav admitted: “They offer something new to the team. “They have all settled in really well. Three started against Aberdeen and Jason came on. “They are going to have a big impact on the team in the second half of the season. “We all have to step up our game. We have a big squad now and there are also a lot of guys to come back from injuries. “It’s going to step up the standards with people trying to keep their places in the team. “It will drive us to be better. “The new additions have stepped up our game. “We have beaten Aberdeen three times now and we had a good performance against Celtic when we felt we could maybe have won the game. “So we are going in the right direction. We must continue it.” Alfredo Morelos opened the scoring before Tav’s second half penalty secured all three points for Gers. Tavernier said: “We are delighted to come away with the three points which moves us up to second place in the table. “We put on a good display and then rode out the storm when Aberdeen put a bit of pressure on at the end. “We are delighted to win 2-0 and keep a clean sheet. We definitely want to build on this. “Second place is the minimum we should be aiming for. “We sent out a statement on Wednesday night, but we can’t let that standard drop. “We have to go to Ross County on Sunday with the same quality and desire to win the game. “We have to get the three points up there. “It’s always challenging going away to different places when the other teams step their game up against us, but we have to play the way we did against Aberdeen. “The new lads gelled in well and we showed a good ability when we were attacking, although we know we can finish off more of the chances we create.” Tavernier had to hold his nerve from the penalty spot after a lengthy delay. Dons keeper Joe Lewis had collided with his own player Anthony O’Connor as the pair combined to foul Josh Windass. It emerged afterwards that Lewis hadn’t suffered a fracture and Tav added: “It took my mind off it, seeing Joe Lewis on the floor. “He was obviously really badly hurt. I don’t really know him that well, but I’ve spoken to him a few times after games. “It’s not nice seeing a fellow professional get injured like that. “But I had already picked where I was going to put the penalty, so I was nice and calm in the build up before actually taking it. “I got put on to the penalties earlier this season in a game when Alfredo didn’t start. I scored it and I’ve been on them ever since. “I’ve always been confident in my ability to score penalties, so hopefully that continues.” https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/2142845/james-tavernier-slams-door-shut-shock-exit-unfinished-business-rangers/ 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo79 14,535 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 He added: “We have to bring silverware to the club. Good attitude. Let's make it soon! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluedell 5,471 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Is he looking to see out his contract and leave for nothing? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,613 Posted January 26, 2018 Author Share Posted January 26, 2018 4 minutes ago, Bluedell said: Is he looking to see out his contract and leave for nothing? Suppose that will be up to the club to try and extend his current contract, or sell him before it expires? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilledbear 16 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 What he gives, assists and goals, we couldn't afford to replace him. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,613 Posted January 26, 2018 Author Share Posted January 26, 2018 4 minutes ago, chilledbear said: What he gives, assists and goals, we couldn't afford to replace him. Has to be a priority for the club to get his contract extended! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
onevision 1,491 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Agree, we really need to do our utmost to secure a longer term contract ensuring a decent price should we decide to sell or moves on. For his shortcomings in defending he more than makes up for with his pace and drive in the attacking third which makes him a hard act to replace. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,367 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 35 minutes ago, chilledbear said: What he gives, assists and goals, we couldn't afford to replace him. No coincidence that when Candeias and Tav didn't play well this season, we struggled badly. That made the capture of Murphy and Docherty all the more important in a creative sense. Not to mention offering a better balance. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,613 Posted January 26, 2018 Author Share Posted January 26, 2018 2 minutes ago, onevision said: Agree, we really need to do our utmost to secure a longer term contract ensuring a decent price should we decide to sell or moves on. For his shortcomings in defending he more than makes up for with his pace and drive in the attacking third which makes him a hard act to replace. I don't think anyone can deny his defending has improved, Candeias has helped him with that 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rousseau 10,026 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 It illustrates how fickle we can be: from being one of the primary scapegoats every week to demanding we extend his contract is quite a change! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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