I love Rangers dogs of war giving us a bite and there's 3 things I need to see next - Barry Ferguson

Philippe Clement is right to manage James Tavernier and his decision could well see the Rangers captain come back even stronger.

A lot has been made of the manager’s call to leave his skipper out of the starting XI for the Europa League draw away in Olympiacos. I thought Clement spoke well about the situation after the game. Tavernier is used to battering out 60-odd games a season, but he is getting older and you can’t keep going on like that forever.

It might just be a case that Tavernier is feeling a bit of tiredness just now and the manager decided to freshen things up in Greece. The changes worked, there’s no doubt about that. I thought Dujon Sterling did well at right back and then came off just after 50 minutes and Neraysho Kasanwirjo replaced him. Tavernier, obviously, made a late appearance.

But listen, that’s what you have to do when you’re playing three games a week, sometimes you have to make changes. I know from experience that when you get to that 33 plus age how hard it is to try and play three games a week. I was allowed by the managers to manage myself, in terms of when I wouldn’t train as much. I’d be playing three games in a week when I was at Birmingham.

I would maybe just do a day in the gym, where I would just go on the bike. I would kind of manage myself so I was available to try and reserve as much energy as possible. As you get older, your body’s not the same, everybody knows that. That might just be a case that Tav’s maybe feeling it a wee touch just now. I don’t know but maybe giving him that wee bit of respite and sitting on the bench, watching his teammates, you might see Tav come back stronger and better again.

Certainly as you get older, your body certainly changes. I know that the last