James Tavernier forced to 'bite his tongue' when faced with abuse on the street

James Tavernier admits he has to "bite his tongue" when faced with abuse on the street.

Footage this week emerged of Tavernier's team-mate, Martyn Waghorn, challenging a schoolboy to repeat some abuse to his face before walking away.

Tavernier admits he has had to turn the other cheek on a number of occasions.

"You get a lot of stick on social media and on the street, you just try and blank it out," he said. "If things aren't going well, sometimes you can react.

"It was just something little. I remember when I was at school, you'd be cheeky to others. We get a lot of stick, it comes with the job and it's just how you deal with it."

The former Newcastle and Wigan right-back added: "Obviously it's a lot more high-profile up here but you get stick at clubs down south if you are not playing well or if you've not won a game.

"But obviously Rangers are a massive club and the fan base is massive and you have a lot of fans that don't like Rangers, so you will get a little more stick than you will down south. It's just part and parcel of the game.

"You have to bite your tongue sometimes when you are getting stick but you have to be as professional as you can be because you are a role model to a lot of people and you don't want one person to unsettle you."