Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will not be removing captain James Tavernier from penalty duties, despite the player missing two of his last three spot-kicks.
His most recent missed penalty was costly, coming against Kilmarnock in a dour 0-0 Scottish Cup draw.
Had he netted it, we would have likely gone on to win the tie, which will now be decided by a replay at Ibrox next Wednesday night.
Fans were left fuming by the miss, with many on Twitter calling for Gerrard to take the responsibility away from him, despite exceptional consistency up to that point.
The manager though has backed Tavernier to keep banging them in.
Speaking to Rangers TV, the Ibrox boss said:
If you look at Tav’s record, he’s been quite consistent. He’s disappointed with the penalty against Kilmarnock because I don’t think it went where he intended it to go.
But in the main, he’s been very consistent and he’s certainly someone myself and the players trust from the penalty spot and he’s got the character to bounce back.
If we get a penalty again, James will take it.
One of the theories behind Tavernier being taken off penalties is the fact that he is taking so many this season and opposition goalkeepers have far too much research on where he’ll hit it.
There might be some value in that opinion, but he has scored 11 penalties this season which is an exceptional return regardless of how many we have been given.
He should not be removed so easily. If he misses another one or two then sure, but right now I am happy with him taking a captain’s responsibility.