Former Celtic captain Tom Boyd described James Tavernier as a “very, very poor defender” and claimed his only attribute is his ability from set-pieces.
Rangers skipper Tavernier netted a scorching free kick on the stroke of half-time during Saturday’s derby defeat at Parkhead as he hauled Michael Beale’s men level after the visitors fell behind to Kyogo’s opener. The full back headed home a second for the visitors late on to give them a glimmer of hope after Kyogo and Jota had both scored to give the champions a two-goal cushion.
But prior to nodding home Borna Barisic’s cross, Boyd delivered a damning verdict on the 31-year-old who has now scored 100 goals for Rangers since joining from Wigan Athletic nine years ago. Boyd is a firm favourite with Hoops legions due to his passionate co-commentary on the club’s own TV channel and the way he wears his heart on his sleeve. And as he described Tavernier’s free-kick, the 57-year-old Treble-winning captain said: “The only way they would get back into this game was with set pieces because in open play they’ve been virtually non existent. It’s certainly a great free kick.
“Joe Hart had absolutely no chance with the accuracy of it coming down off the crossbar. He might have been able to save it if he was standing there. But that’s all Tavernier’s got as a player. He’s good at set pieces, he’s good at penalties… as a defender he’s very, very poor.”
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