Pundit 'wowed' by 'big call' at Rangers as Gerrard digs at Patterson
Paul Robinson has heaped praise on Rangers manager Steven Gerrard for his "big call" to drop James Tavernier.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former England teammate of Gerrard said Nathan Patterson's inclusion ahead of the club captain shows the rest of the squad that "nobody is guaranteed a starting spot."
Patterson replaced Tavernier for the top-of-the-table clash against Hibernian on Sunday.
The decision paid off for Gerrard after the young right-back provided the assist for Kemar Roofe's equaliser in the 2-1 win.
However, Gerrard told RangersTV after the game "there was loads" for Patterson to look back and improve upon in the match.
When asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on the decision to drop Tavernier, Robinson said:
"When you look at the team sheet you think 'Wow. That's a big call.' because it was really important game for Rangers at the weekend.
"Gerrard picks players on form and their performances in training.
"Tavernier has not been playing particularly well. He has not hit the heights of last season.
"It shows great strength from the manager to make a call like that.
"Patterson coming in for the captain just goes to show that nobody is guaranteed a starting spot. Players are picked on form, not reputation."
Speaking to RangersTV, Gerrard said: "Nathan [Patterson] came in today and I think there is loads that he can look back and learn from.
"But, he's delivered because he put a wonderful cross in and we've scored a fantastic goal from it."