(Credit: Imago)

Evan Shaw

Sun 12 April 2026 18:00, UK

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Rangers captain James Tavernier did his prospects of securing a new contract no favours despite his team’s 6-3 win away at Falkirk on Sunday.

Danny Rohl’s side received a huge scare as they fell 2-0 down early on against John McGlynn’s men, but they were ultimately able to mount a stunning comeback to keep their Scottish Premiership title hopes alive.

Second-half braces from Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski, combined with efforts from Tochi Chukwuani and Nicolas Raskin, proved enough to see the Gers come out on the right side of a nine-goal thriller.

However, amidst all the excitement in the second period, Rohl’s men conceded three poor goals from a defensive perspective as the back four were found wanting in terms of their concentration and ability to react on both occasions.

The victory is an invaluable statement for Rangers’ title hopes, after both Hearts and Celtic had claimed another three points on Saturday.

Danny Rohl must make ruthless James Tavernier call

Tavernier’s future at Ibrox has been a major topic of discussion in recent weeks as he begins to edge towards the conclusion of his contract at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old has undoubtedly been an incredible servant over the course of his 11 years at Rangers, but fans have been growing increasingly frustrated with his displays of late.

He will leave the Glasgow giants on a free transfer ahead of next season if no new contract is put on the table, but he proved yet again in the win over Falkirk that he is not worthy of a new deal.

Tavernier was miles out of position to allow Calvin Miller to burst forward and set up the hosts’ opening goal, as his defensive instincts were found wanting yet again.

His positioning came into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons again in the second half, as he got on the wrong side of Filip Lissah inside the box and ended up fouling the Falkirk man, with Miller then converting the resulting penalty.

The skipper’s defensive ability has been questioned on several occasions over the years, but with his attacking influence now fading somewhat, it has become even more important for him to be reliable without the ball.

However, he has proven time and again that his defensive work hasn’t improved at all in recent months, and that should be enough for Rohl to take a ruthless decision and let him leave, despite the team’s epic comeback.

Rangers have clear hurdle in Tavernier discussions

Football Insider revealed back in March that Tavernier could decide to leave Rangers if the club do not see eye to eye with him in terms of the length of the contract that would be on offer.

The veteran will be looking for the security of a multi-year deal at this stage of his career, but that could potentially provide a decisive hurdle to overcome in any negotiations that take place.

Given what Tavernier has provided since he first stepped through the door at Rangers, the club hierarchy would surely have been keen to try and match his demands as well as possible.

However, after the latest round of concerning evidence in the clash with Falkirk, Rohl and his staff may feel that it is not worth trying to overcome the potential barrier.