In the aftermath of the draw at Easter Road on Saturday, James Tavernier branded Alfredo Morelos’ red card as “stupid”.
“Disappointed” and “angry” were amongst the words used by the captain to describe how he was feeling after the three points were squandered and it can be fair to assume that some of that was directed at his teammate as well as the referee who stole the show, Willie Collum.
In an immiediate recap of what had unfolded during the game, Tavernier stated:
“Alfredo’s one is stupid. He’s going to ask questions. We put ourselves on the back foot and I thought the character we have shown (good).”
“It’s obviously disappointing to lose a goal near the end. We tried to do everything possible but we obviously leave here with a point. We’re disappointed, but we have to look forward to Wednesday now.”
Fair
There was nothing expressed by the skipper that wasn’t universally expressed by the fans after the game.
The team had the chances to be two or three goals up at half-time but a lack of a cutting edge meant the contest was still alive going into the second half. A further goal apiece was followed by the madness of the red cards then it was a case of scrambling to hold on.
GvB’s decision to remove all attackers meant there was no outball but Morelos has to take responsbility for his own actions. Hopefully, the clarity of Tavernier’s “stupid” call will have a resonance in the dressing room and particularly with the Colombian.
He let his side down and unfortunately there are no excuses left.
🎙️ James Tavernier spoke to @RangersTV after today’s match against Hibernian. pic.twitter.com/6mA951f9pR
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) August 20, 2022