Clement shields James Tavernier from Rangers fan ire as he comes out swinging to defend a 'REAL captain'

Defiant Philippe Clement came to the defence of under-fire skipper James Tavernier - saying the right-back is a REAL captain and the man for 'difficult moments.'

Rangers are in action against Dundee United this weekend as they look to put a dire start to the season behind them and get things back on the rails. Defeat to Celtic before the break put them five points behind the Hoops and already well on the back foot in the race for the title with just four games played.

There's been plenty of rage from fans at how things have gone, much of which has been directed at the man with the armband Tavernier. Frequent interest in his services from Turkey and Qatar had some punters arguing they'd be better off without the man who scored 24 goals for them from right-back this season.

Clement is't a believer in that theory, and speaking ahead of the Premiership with United, Clement said it's only natural for the captain to be the natural fan scapegoat when things are tough. He knows that himself from captaining Club Brugge during his playing days, but sees no signs of Tavernier shying away from the fight.

He said: "In moments the team does not perform, the captain is always the first one that fans point to. I had similar moments in Brugge. It is part of being captain. I have to say he (Tavernier) is very mature and motivated to get results. It's easy to be captain in the moments when everything is going well. The real captains are the ones who keep you moving forward in difficult moments. That is what Tav has been doing, driving forward the team and helping the new guys with their integration."

In case you haven't heard, we've launched a new Hotline Live show, airing at 6pm every day, with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays.