James Tavernier has the chance to complete the Scottish set of honours by lifting aloft the League Cup trophy at Hampden today.
The captain and Hall of Fame inductee has spoken very well in recent days. Firstly, following his grand honour from the club last Sunday then in previewing the Old Firm showdown for the first silverware of the season.
The Scottish Cup win last May was the first in front of the supporters and the Yorkshireman wants more, following on from the 2021 title ‘behind closed doors’ at Ibrox.
Tavernier said of emulating the cup success from last season:
“The first one was behind closed doors and the Scottish Cup final was in front of our fans. It was a different experience from what we first did but it was amazing to do that in front of your own fans.”
“To have that feeling you just want to continue to have more of those feelings and what a great opportunity that we have to play in a cup final this early in the season and try to get our hands on it.”
The skipper will need to lead by example like he did last Saturday at Livingston.
That is the Tavernier who has made a home for himself at Ibrox, who has contributed so much in recent seasons and who can rise again to his previous high level of consistency.
That is an aim for him individually and collectively for the team with results speaking for themselves under Michael Beale’s leadership.
Tavernier said of confidence in the camp just now:
“We know that performance-wise there have been games where we’ve felt that we could improve which is a good thing because we’re winning games and still not being at the top level that we need to be so we know there’s still room for improvement.”
“We’ll continue to work hard every single day on the training pitch to make sure we show that on a match day and hopefully that all comes into place on Sunday.”
A performance today would be great but it’s very much all about the captain lifting the trophy.