By Frank McAvennie

6th Oct, 2023 | 5:59am

James Tavernier should be stripped of Rangers captaincy after what McAvennie has spotted

James Tavernier should be stripped of the Rangers captaincy.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie claimed Tavernier is “not captain material” but is unsure about the suitability of any other players to take over.

The 31-year-old has been with the Gers since 2015 when he joined from Wigan and has been a virtual ever-present for the team ever since.

He will go down in Ibrox history as the man who captained the club to their first league title in ten years.

But since the league victory in 2021, the Gers have endured a difficult domestic spell, falling behind their Glasgow rivals Celtic for the last two seasons.

Rangers have endured a dreadful start to the 2023-24 season and followed up the sacking of Michael Beale at the start of the week with a 2-1 Europa League defeat at Aris Limassol on Thursday night.

The captain has been attracting criticism from supporters for his post-match interviews following defeats and poor performances and fans are questioning his ability to lead the side.

McAvennie insisted Tavernier is no longer fit to lead the Gers.

“He reads off a script,” he told Football Insider.

“He is not captain material for them. He is not a Barry Ferguson or someone who is going to get them by the scruff of the neck and pull the team forward.

“I would change the captaincy but I do not know who in that team that would take it.

“I would take it away from Tav, he is not getting the message across to the players. Just let him deal with his own game and stop him moaning at everyone else.“

In other news, Rangers set sights on former Premier League manager after approach made.