James Tavernier calls for underdog spirit at Rangers
James Tavernier believes Rangers need to start acting like the underdog more often if they are to come out on top against the Ladbrokes Premiership's lesser lights.
The Ibrox side showed their battling qualities as they ground out a surprise goalless draw against league leaders Celtic on Saturday.
It was a repeat of the displays that have produced victories over Hearts, Aberdeen and Hibernian in recent weeks.
While Graeme Murty's men have shown they can tussle with their high-flying rivals in front of worked-up sell-out crowds, they have struggled to match that intensity when the likes of Hamilton, Dundee, St Johnstone and Kilmarnock have sat in and waited for Gers to break them down.
But having raised their game once again at Celtic Park, Tavernier insists the Light Blues cannot allow themselves to slip back to their old bad habits when they return from the winter break.
''We set the standards against Aberdeen and Hibs and didn't keep them up in the games after that,'' admitted the full-back. We have to keep that standard in every game and even every day through the week. From now, we can't be dropping below this.
Every team that comes and plays us wants to work out of their skin, like we did on Saturday to get the result. We have to take that mentality into those games because they will work their socks off to try and get a result against us.
This result sets us up for the second half of the season. We've got some time off then we go to Florida for two games over there, we'll regroup over there, get all the boys firing up.
We can't drop from the performance we gave at Parkhead because it's criminal if we do so. We've got to keep the high standards and demand more from each other.''
While Rangers had to cling on during the opening 45 minutes as Brendan Rodgers' Hoops created a string of clear-cut chances, it was the Ibrox men who bossed the second period.
Tavernier was denied just moments after the restart when Craig Gordon clawed away his acrobatic attempt with an stunning reflex stop.
The former Newcastle and Wigan man then teed up striker Alfredo Morelos for two golden chances but the little Colombian failed to convert either of them.
But no-one in the Ibrox dressing room is pointing fingers at the 21-year-old, according to Tavernier.
''Strikers will miss chances,'' he said. ''I remember the last time we came here Waggy (Martyn Waghorn) missed two chances, it's just one of those things.
Alfredo is a good lad and will move forward from this. We didn't come away losing, we came away with a point. We're obviously a little bit disappointed we didn't win the game.''