BARRY FERGUSON says it will be an ‘unbelievable’ achievement for James Tavernier to hit 500 Rangers appearances if selected in tomorrow afternoon’s Scottish Premiership clash against Motherwell at Ibrox.
The captain arrived in Glasgow in 2015 from Wigan Athletic and joins a special group of players who have hit the landmark for the Light Blues.
Ferguson, taking just his second press conference since being named Gers Head Coach on Monday, paid tribute to Tavernier’s contribution over the years.
Speaking to the media ahead of the visit of the Steelmen to Govan, he commented: “First and foremost, it’s an unbelievable achievement.
“He’s been through a lot in his Rangers career, but one thing I will say about James Tavernier is that he never hides.
“I thought he was exceptional on Wednesday night when I moved him from his natural right-back position into central defence and he became a real leader. That’s what I want from my captain.
“We’ve had a few good chats and he’s an important player for me. He deserves a lot of credit for 500 games.
“It’s part of playing at Rangers. When you suffer defeats or don’t play well, it’s generally the captain who gets it in the neck.
“He’s big enough to handle those situations. I’ve been through it as well, and it’s not nice at times, but I’m afraid that’s the nature of the beast.”
Motherwell have a new boss themselves as Michael Wimmer celebrated his first victory in charge of the Steelmen in a 2-1 victory over Dundee in midweek.
Ferguson says he’s conscious about the threat that the Lanarkshire side will bring to Ibrox tomorrow but insists his full focus is on how the Gers will apply themselves and shake off the last two home defeats.
He added: “You need to be respectful that there’s a new manager in and he’s playing slightly different.
“But my main focus is on how we approach the game; we’re at Ibrox and in front of 50,000 fans.
“There are expectations and demands, and we need to go and match them.
“We need to make sure we take the game to the Motherwell; they’ll have a game plan to try and get something out of the game.
“It’s not about me. It’s about us going and putting a performance on, about us being at home, and taking the game to Motherwell and getting three points. That’s the only thing I’m concerned about.
“I played with the team that I grew up supporting, and I made the next step to go and captain them.
“Obviously now I’ll be standing on the sideline and managing the team.
“The focus isn’t on me; the focus is on my team starting to get results on a regular basis. That’s the only thing that matters for me.
“[The last two games] at Ibrox haven’t been good enough. The performances have been well below the standard needed at Rangers.
“We need to set that straight tomorrow.
“When you play at Ibrox you need to dominate the ball and take the game to the opposition. I don’t think that was the case in the last two games.
“My message to the players and my staff’s message is pretty clear in terms of what way we’re going to go towards Motherwell.”