Rangers defender James Tavernier: At Pittodrie you can hear everything they say – but know if you react, you’ll get punished

JAMES TAVERNIER can testify to the kind of welcome new Rangers boss Steven Gerrard can expect to receive on the Pittodrie touchline this afternoon.

The 26-year-old Light Blues skipper wasn’t even a twinkle in his father’s eye when the enmity between Aberdeen and Rangers was at its most pronounced.

Neil Simpson’s notorious tackle on Ian Durrant in 1988 added fuel to the fire of an already tense rivalry, and the occasions became difficult to police, on the park as well as off it.

Three decades on, things have cooled appreciably, though not to the extent where Dons supporters no longer make an extra effort to make things difficult when the Govan club are in town.

“You do get stick up there and their fans are close,” said the Englishman with a grin, as he looked ahead to the clubs’ Premiership curtain raiser.

“Pittodrie and Tynecastle are the two grounds we play at where you really notice being near to the crowd.

“Can I hear everything they say to me? When I’m playing I block everything out to focus on the game, but when I’m taking a throw-in, yes.

“You don’t really want to entertain it. And, of course, you know that if you react, you get punished.

“It is just opposition fans, though, and I actually enjoy it.

“I say that because I can thrive off some of the stuff which is shouted at me during a game.

“It makes you push yourself even harder because when you win up there, our fans are singing while their fans are silent.

“The best feeling is to walk off the park having taken three points, then going up to your own fans and celebrating.

“There is nothing better.

“And for this one, I know the fans will take nothing less than a win because I do get stopped by supporters in the street in the run-up to the Aberdeen games.

“I know all about the feelings, the rivalry and I would put it just below the Celtic games.

“So we have to win this one for them, and for the gaffer, too.”

Pittodrie was a happy hunting ground for Rangers last season, with a 2-1 win last December and a 1-1 draw in May.

However, while bookmakers make an away win favourite this afternoon, it is significant there is little more than a cigarette paper between the prices for all three possible results, with even Tavernier himself admitting his bullishness is based on hope as much as expectation.

“It’s the first game of the season against one of our biggest rivals, so we will look forward to getting up there and hopefully put in a good performance,” he said.

“Our record there has been good. But this is a new team, and it will be different surroundings for some of the lads, so it’s a tough first game.

“What we want to do is carry on the momentum we’ve built up over the friendlies and European games.

“How good are we going to be this season? Time will tell. But from what I have seen, I’m really excited for the season because we have real strength in depth, plus the manager and everything that has come with him. There are exciting times ahead.

“You always want to set the tone right from the first game.

“I still remember that 1-1 draw against Hamilton at Ibrox at the start of the season two years ago. It has always stayed in the back of my mind.

“It wasn’t the result or performance our fans wanted to see. It wasn’t what we wanted to see, either.

“We have to look back at that, and look to avoid it this time.

“We cannot afford to drop any points at Aberdeen. We need to get off to a great start, get three points, and then we can push on to the season.”

Tavernier made a strong impression as a Rangers captain last year, winning the respect of all onlookers for the way he fronted up to all media interviews in the wake of the club’s wounding loss to Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

Given the new manager’s blessing to continue in the role, it is clear from the way he speaks that he is relishing the opportunity to act as Gerrard’s on-field representative.

“I have always tried to lead by example on the pitch,” he continued.

“I now have more responsibilities off the pitch, and I am looking forward to all of that. On the pitch, I want to push the boys on. I have (former Rangers captain) Lee Wallace to speak to. I’m good friends with him, and he is there for me and is always ready to give out any advice.

“Of course, there is the gaffer, and he captained Liverpool for God knows how many years.

“So I have good people around me, good leaders in the dressing-room as well, such as Scott Arfield, and they will be a big help to me.”

Tavernier’s importance to the squad has also been franked by Gerrard’s decision to switch new recruit Jon Flanagan from his preferred right-back slot over to the left side.

It was a move that wasn’t foreseen when the signing of the former Liverpool player was announced, with many fans wondering if it could be the beginning of the end to their current right-back’s time at the club.

The man himself insists he never had any such doubts.

“Any player who comes in who plays full-back is always going to be competition,” Tavernier admitted.

“But you need that. You don’t want to be too comfortable in your position. With his experience, it’s good Jon has come into the team.

“I want the team to do well. If Jon is here to push me, and vice-versa, it can only make the team better.

“No matter what, I would always try to push myself to be better than the day before.

“I always go into training wanting to work even harder than the day before, and I want to perform better than I did in the last game.

“That’s the character I have always been.

“If someone is competing for your spot, then you know that a bad game is going to give them your spot in the team.

“There is a lot of competition in our team this year, especially in midfield where the lads are going to be fighting for a start.”

The great news for Tavernier – and to a lesser extent Flanagan – is that the tactical switch around is working.

Rangers’ defence, their Achilles heel last season when their free-scoring form was sabotaged by the continual concession of goals, has noticeably tightened up under the organisation of the new manager and his coaching team.

Intensive work in training is paying dividends in games.

“We kept three clean sheets in a row which was great,” said the Light Blues skipper.

“As soon as the gaffer came in he got in two centre-backs, which I think we needed, and Niko (Katic) and Connor (Goldson) have done really well since they have come in.

“Jon Flanagan has great experience having played with Liverpool. He’s done a great job at left-back.

“Ryan Jack has been great just in front of us in the holding role, but we are all playing a part in trying to keep a clean sheet.

“We will stay tight as a unit and it’s working well for us. I have positive vibes that, at the back, we will do okay this season.

“We have a new team, and you can tell already that we will go through stages when we need to defend with our lives, which we have done.

“It is early days, but the games are getting bigger and tougher so we will see where we are soon.

“As I say, though, these are exciting times for us with the Aberdeen match one very much for us all to look forward to.”