Our subject of the day, dear readers, is none other than James Tavernier. This 34-year old English defender, best known for his antics as a right back, fancies the number 2 jersey and currently struts his stuff for a team whose mention will probably get my Celtic-supporting laptop to self-destruct: Rangers. All 1.75m (or 5ft 8in in the antiquated measurement system) of him, weighing at 81kg (or, rather charmingly, 12st 10lb).
Tavernier, bless him, kicked off his career as a trainee for Newcastle United back in July 2008. His journey through the lower leagues read like a sightseeing tour through English football, from Gateshead to Carlisle to Sheffield Wednesday, and so on. Let's spare ourselves the details, shall we? It was in the season 2013-2014, during his time at Rotherham United, he began to find his stride a bit, scoring five goals in 27 matches.
In June 2014, Tavernier transferred to Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee. Here too, his performances were less than earth-shattering, so much so he was loaned to Bristol City in January 2015 where he made 12 appearances and managed to chip in three goals.
But, hold your breath, the plot thickens. Or thins, depending on which side of the divide you stand. In July 2015, Tavernier made the trip north to join... you guessed it... Rangers, for a miserly £200k. Over the years, he's had an interesting run of form: some seasons powering in impressive goal tallies (like the 17 in season 2023-24) and others, looking more like the middling right back he began as.
The current season seems par for the course for our dear protagonist. He has made 27 appearances and returned a haul of seven goals. Not bad for a right-back, we grudgingly admit. In other competitions, he's flexed his scoring muscles too with two goals in the League Cup and three in the Scottish Cup.
So there you have it, the tale of James Tavernier. A right-back with a knack for goals, nondescript by Celtic standards, but seemingly doing just enough to keep turning a head or two far away from Paradise. Now if you'll excuse me, time to purge my laptop’s memory bank of all things blue.
