Glasgow Rangers’ hopes of winning domestic silverware ended on Sunday afternoon as Queen’s Park delivered a stunning upset to knock the Ibrox side out of the Scottish Cup.
The result is arguably one of the worst in the club’s illustrious history, right up there with the defeat to Berwick in 1967 and Hamilton in 1987, both early exits in the Scottish Cup.
Given the disparity between squads and the fact Rangers were playing at home, everything pointed to a routine home win. Philippe Clement even gave a first start to Bailey Rice, the brightest prospect to emerge from the academy in quite some time.
Surprisingly, the tie was evenly poised heading into the final 20 minutes as the Light Blues were labouring. Queen’s Park secured a corner from which Seb Drozd scored a sublime goal to open the scoring for the Glasgow side.
With just minutes left on the clock, the Gers were awarded a penalty after Cyriel Dessers was pushed in the box. The pressure rested on James Tavernier to slot the ball home and send the tie to extra time.
Goalkeeper Calum Ferrie produced a fine stop to deny the captain and the Ibrox side couldn’t score from the resulting corner, slipping to a 1-0 defeat.
This defeat surely settles Clement’s future, as a manager with no credit in the bank won’t be able to survive a loss like this.
It shouldn’t just be the manager who is on their last legs, however, especially as Tavernier delivered a soulless performance which proves exactly why he should be moved on at the first available opportunity.
Why James Tavernier must leave Rangers
Tavernier’s 268 goal contributions – 129 goals and 139 assists – across 496 matches for the Gers is a wonderful record, no doubt about that.
With regards to trophies won, however, his record is fairly dismal. Since joining the club in the summer of 2015, Tavernier has won just three major honours; the 2020/21 Premiership crown, the 2022 Scottish Cup and the 2023 League Cup.
2023/24
58
24
12
2022/23
55
18
10
2021/22
58
18
17
2020/21
46
19
16
2019/20
46
3
16
2018/19
57
17
20
2017/18
46
9
9
2016/17
44
2
7
2015/16
50
15
23
Celtic have been utterly dominant during this period and Tavernier has hid under the pressure, especially when the Gers are on the cusp of something special. Take last season for example. The Light Blues had clawed ground back on Celtic in the title race, they blew it by losing against Motherwell and Ross County, allowing the Parkhead side to surge ahead once again.
The less said about the current campaign the better. With the loss to Queen’s Park, Rangers’ domestic season is over, and it is only the start of February.
While his penalty miss will be the main topic of discussion, his performance against the second-tier outfit was terrible, lacking any sort of desire or dynamism. More importantly, it lacked heart.
Glasgow World journalist Ben Banks gave Tavernier a match rating of 2/10 for his display against the Spiders, explaining that the defender ‘couldn’t clear the ball on the line and failed to offer much of an attacking threat. Couldn’t lead his team out of a crisis then missed a penalty’.
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Rangers' other biggest underperformer against Queen's Park
It wasn’t just the Englishman who failed to deliver during the game. Nedim Bajrami has come under some criticism of late due to a host of underwhelming displays.
Clement unleashed the Albanian against Queen’s Park and many expected him to bounce back with a solid performance. Unfortunately, he was one of the worst players on the pitch.
The 25-year-old looked like an inspired signing when Clement paid £3.4m to secure his signature from Italian side Sassuolo.
Since then, Bajrami has played 33 games for the Light Blues, registering eight assists – four goals and four assists – during that time.
He has demonstrated a glimpse of his talents over the previous few months. A goal against Malmö on his European debut appeared to show that Bajrami would be a great addition to the squad.
The attacking midfielder also scored the winner against Motherwell in the League Cup semi-final back in November, but since then, he has largely been ineffective.
Stevie Clifford, who runs Four Lads Had a Dream, criticised the Albanian last month regarding his recent poor displays, saying:
“I’ll highlight it again, it’s not singling him out, but Nedim Bajrami is not offering enough at all. We need him to influence games & be involved, largely anonymous so far, again. £4m is big money to do it in these type of games & he’s miles off it so far.”
Deployed on the left wing against the Championship side, Bajrami failed to link up well with Ianis Hagi, who operated in a more advanced role, or Hamza Igamane, during the match.
He was so poor that Clement subbed him at half-time, bringing on Dessers in his place.
Banks also gave him a match rating of 2/10 for his insipid performance at Ibrox stating that he was ‘found seriously wanting and not for the first time. Subbed at half-time after no impact’.
The next few months will be crucial if he wishes to extend his spell at Rangers beyond the summer. It is highly unlikely that Clement will still be in charge by that point, so much will depend on whether the new manager sees Bajrami as part of his plans.
A summer clear-out is required, no doubt about that. Tavernier and Bajrami could well be the top two players on the list that supporters will be keen to see leave Glasgow.
What next for Rangers? In the aftermath of arguably the worst result in the club’s recent history, Patrick Stewart and the board have some big questions that need to be answered.
The supporters won’t be happy until Clement leaves. He can take Tavernier and Bajrami with him, too.
As bad as Tavernier: 2/10 flop just ended Rangers' chance of a trophy
The Glasgow Rangers flop was just as bad as James Tavernier against Queen’s Park.
ByDan EmeryFeb 9, 2025
