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.
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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."
Clement knows Rangers fans are 'frustrated' with how things have gone so far - but says he's held chats with supporters during the international break and heard plenty of support for his cause. He went on: "I have met a lot of fans in the last week who have been very positive and supportive. We spoke about the end of a cycle last year, 16 players left the club last year. We brought 11 new players in with a lower average age. We need time to work, get connections on and off the field. This takes time and we are working hard, I see an energetic young group with a lot of potential. I am very positive about the story and to grow as a team.
"All our focus is on the next game, we have a lot of games and challenges over the next couple of months. I know there is a lot of frustration, I'm really happy with the news we can go back to Ibrox and everyone can feel at home again. Now the most important thing is to return to Ibrox and focus on results."
As far as injuries go, Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo and Danilo will all miss out this weekend. - the latter expected to miss the next four weeks after a setback on the training ground. However Ross McCausland, Nedim Bajrami and Oscar Cortes could all overcome doubts to feature.
He added: "Ross (McCausland) picked up a knock on international duty, but it shouldn't be too bad. Nedim Bajrami trained with the team for the first time today. We will make a decision after training tomorrow.
"Oscar (Cortes) played 60 minutes in our closed door game, he is progressing well along with Hamza. Ridvan is still out along with Danilo and Matondo. Ridvan is back doing individual work outside.
"Danilo was an unlucky one, he slipped in a sprint. Thankfully, it is not a cruciate ligament, but he will be out for at least four weeks. Thankfully the work he had done previously to help strengthen his knee helped prevent a more serious injury."
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