James Tavernier will fulfil a boyhood dream when he leads Rangers out for their Champions League return. But he admits the Ibrox side have no choice but to cut out the shambolic blunders at the back that led to their nightmare on Kerrydale Street. Aged 30, the Gers skipper is at last ready to play out the ambition he’s held since childhood as he prepares to taste action in UEFA’s top tournament for the first time in Amsterdam tonight.
But he’s well aware a repeat of the catastrophic defending that allowed Celtic to run riot on Saturday will render his big group-stage bow a night to forget. Tavernier said: “It’s a dream come true. Not just as a captain but as a player, too. It’s every kid’s dream when you play football.
"You watch Champions League games when you’re young, you hear the music. To be actually playing in it and to be captaining a side in it is a dream come true for a boy. Obviously we were disappointed with the weekend and what happened. We’ve all had meetings on it and had a look back on how we played.
“But the good thing about European football is you have a midweek game and a chance to really bounce back to the performances you want to do, to rectify things. From the first whistle we’ll be trying to put the performance in that deserves credit for the team and put a performance in for the fans. Obviously the goals are something we all can definitely improve on.
“We conceded at the weekend, there’s no hiding away from that. That’s the thing about football you’re here to learn, and it’s something we have to learn moving forward, and I’m sure the boys will.
“The character of the team is strong, we have great experience in the team. Going forward I don’t see that being an issue.
"Our play was good but the
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk
dailyrecord.co.uk
