First on the ledger, we have James Tavernier, birthed onto this realm on 31 October 1991, which makes our defender a spry 34 years old. This right-back rouge, hailing from the hallowed halls of Jolly Old England, struts his stuff for our dear, distinguished Rangers. Standing at an unremarkable 1.75m (5ft 8in) and weighing in at 81kg (12st 10lb), he's not the most daunting chap on the field, but with the number 2 dashing about on his jersey, he's impossible to miss.
In the bleak midsummer of 2008, our lad Tavernier had a virtual nothing to his name but a glimmer in his eye, a dream in his heart and apparently, a deft foot on the field. For it was then that he was inducted into the trainee programme at Newcastle United. His claim of glory during the 2012 - 2013 season? A whopping two first team appearances.
He was then traded off to Gateshead on loan in January 2011, where he made a staggering 13 first team appearances in his debut season. It seems our lad was quite the hot potato, as he was passed about from Gateshead to Carlisle United, Sheffield Wednesday, MK Dons, and finally, spend a blink-and-you-miss-it spell at Shrewsbury Town, and a more substantial stint at Rotherham United, where he made more waves with 5 goals in 27 appearances.
A brief sojourn at Wigan Athletic followed in June 2014, where despite their hosting Mr. Tavernier for an undisclosed fee, modest returns of 11 first team appearances were seen. Following which, Bristol City played host to Tavernier, during which time he scored three goals in 12 appearances.
Finally, it was in the July of 2015 that Tavernier found his way home to Rangers, joining for a fee of a less-than-princely £200k. Here he has gone on to make quite a name for himself, holding down the fort with impressive performances each season. From scoring 10 goals in 36 appearances in his first season, Tavernier went on to make 33 appearances and net 7 goals in the current season.
Beyond his league performances, our mighty Tavernier has charged forward in the League Cup, Scottish Cup, Champions League Qualifiers and Europa League of 2025-2026, scoring a cumulative 6 goals in 19 appearances, a performance Rangers can count on.
No green pastures here, but sounds to me like Tavernier's found his very own slice of heaven among the Rangers. One wonders what next our lad will put his deft foot to.
