“They’ve become Celtic’s scapegoats” – Kris Boyd surprisingly reveals why TWO Rangers players have been wrongly criticized in a Celtic dominance era

Kris Boyd Defends Tavernier and Dessers Amid Ongoing Rangers Scrutiny

Kris Boyd has issued a passionate defence of Rangers captain James Tavernier and striker Cyriel Dessers, insisting the pair have become scapegoats during a period of Celtic dominance.

The Ibrox stalwart turned pundit believes Tavernier’s continued criticism is unfair, particularly given his statistical output and commitment during a challenging time for the club.

Tavernier, who has lifted every major domestic trophy since arriving at Rangers in 2015, has captained the side through both triumphs and tough spells. Despite his numbers in terms of goals and assists, Boyd argues that the captain is regularly singled out due to the success enjoyed across the city at Celtic Park.

“I think because Celtic have been so dominant now for a period of time, because James Tavernier has been the Rangers captain, he’s always going to be that scapegoat as such,” Boyd told the Daily Mail. “If you break down his Rangers’ career, in terms of numbers, in terms of goals, in terms of assists, then it’s very, very good. Ultimately, when you’re the captain of Rangers, you’re going to be judged on winning trophies.”

He continued: “And that’s not been at a level where he was expected to be. It’s not been a level where Rangers is expected to be. So, you’re going to come in for criticism. But one thing about Tavernier and Connor Goldson before him is that they turn up for their work, they’re there every single training session. They’re there every single game. They play the games.

“I think in football, and in life, when you go looking for problems, then you’re going to find them. They’ll come to you anyway. There’s no point in going looking for them.”

New head coach Russell Martin has already stated that Tavernier remains an integral part of his plans, confirming the armband will stay with the long-serving right-back. Boyd echoed that sentiment, stating the value of experience will be key to the new regime’s success.

“You’re looking for people who have delivered in games and have done well for a period of time because he’s going to need experienced players. There’s no getting away from it. You need big characters.”

Boyd also came to the defence of Nigerian international Dessers, who netted consistently last season despite facing criticism and speculation linking him with a move to AEK Athens.

“A lot of players at Rangers recently have become better players when they’ve not been playing,” Boyd said. “The ones who have been playing are the ones who’ve been criticised. But they’re the ones who are prepared to put themselves out there, take the flak and try and correct the performance levels of recent times.

“People speak about Dessers, but to score the amount of goals that he scored is impressive. You’ve got others in there like Danilo at £5.5million. He’s hardly played. You’d be looking for more. Hamza Igamane’s form is up and down. But the one continuously there, scoring goals week in, week out, and has missed a couple of chances, he’s the one that’s been criticised. The other ones who have not contributed to anything seem to get away with it.

“Would I hang on to him? One hundred per cent. Everybody tells you scoring goals is the hardest thing in the game. You’ve got somebody there who’s doing it on a regular basis. Again, I’ll say it. There are other ones who are a problem for Rangers. Cyriel Dessers isn’t a problem.”

With Martin now shaping his squad ahead of a crucial pre-season, the futures of key figures like Tavernier and Dessers remain vital to Rangers’ chances of closing the gap on Celtic in the coming campaign.