No Barton, no goals.. no worries! Tavernier suggests Barton wouldn’t be missed at Rangers
Gers full-back supported Mark Warburton’s claims that the 0-0 draw with Ross County was their best performance so far
HOW do you solve a problem like Joey Barton?
The banished Rangers star was missing on Saturday — but wasn’t exactly missed.
Mark Warburton’s side didn’t suddenly turn into the 1970 Brazil team in the controversial midfielder’s absence.
Ibrox punters expect better than a 0-0 home draw against Ross County — and booed the team off.
But compared to previous stodgy performances, there was a lot more purpose and energy against Jim McIntyre’s stubborn side.
Club policy meant James Tavernier wouldn’t discuss Barton’s bust-up but he was happy to label this Rangers’ “best performance of the season so far”.
Coincidentally, it was also the first without the out-of-form English midfielder in the team.
Tavernier hailed the middle trio of Andy Halliday, Jason Holt and Josh Windass who should surely start tomorrow’s League Cup clash with Queen of the South.
That would mean a place on the bench for Barton or the embarrassment of being dumped in the stand.
Would the opinionated midfielder accept that?
Judging by his TalkSport interview, that’s doubtful.
And what would the Rangers board think about their highest earner being bombed out after just five league games and one rammy?
They backed Warburton when they handed Barton a lucrative two-year deal — a signing that so far looks to be a huge mistake.
With Rangers still finding their feet financially, they can’t afford to have a player on his wage not contributing.
But then they also can’t excuse Barton kicking off with his team-mates and then taking to the UK airwaves to label his ban “strange”.
It’s a major conundrum and more will become clear today when the midfielder returns to Murray Park to meet “Warbs” as he refers to him.
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The Rangers boss needs to find a quick solution to this issue — one which suits all parties and lets the club move on.
Right now, a clean break looks the best option — but that could be complicated with big-money contracts and big personalities involved.
The Ibrox hierarchy will need to make a quick decision but Tavernier’s assessment of Saturday’s draw suggested Barton wouldn’t be a loss.
He said: “In the previous games, we hadn’t really played the way we did against Ross County.
“You’d have to say that this was our best performance of the season so far.
“We looked almost like the Rangers we were — being on the front foot and dominating the ball.
“We created chances but just didn’t get the luck to put it in the back of the net.
“If we play with the same intensity, we will win games. Sometimes you get the luck and get the first goal and they keep flowing.
“County defended well on Saturday but we didn’t get the luck. We kept probing so we are disappointed that we didn’t get the three points.
“Holty was out of the team with an ankle injury earlier this season but those three in midfield worked really well.
“When Niko Kranjcar came on, it shows we have players to make a difference.
“We created a lot of chances through the midfield and it was a good start to the game. But we are disappointed.”
The problem for Gers is this disappointment has been a regular post-match theme this season.
They have taken nine points from six games and were jeered at full-time — a week after their Old Firm hammering from Celtic. Like their Glasgow rivals, Rangers are only ever a few dropped points away from a crisis for the players.
Add in the Barton bust-up and the public nature of the fall-out, you can understand why McIntyre referred to Rangers’ week as a “circus”.
Yet Tavernier insists Warburton’s squad have the spirit and maturity to stick together while criticism comes their way.
He said: “It was amazing last season, getting the win against Celtic. So losing to them was a big blow. Knowing that we didn’t play our best was an even bigger blow.
“But you need to put it behind you as you are bound to play them another three times in the season, plus more in the cups.
“You look at the negatives and the positives — but we are a strong enough group to stay calm. We look forward and work hard on the things we have to improve for the next games.”
Finding the scoring touch would help ease Rangers’ problems with Warbs’ side managing just seven goals in six games.
Joe Garner grabbed one against Celtic but still doesn’t look completely settled.
The £1.5 million signing hardly got a sniff, with Rangers’ best chances falling to Michael O’Halloran, Clint Hill and star man Windass.
But Tavernier is confident the goals will start to flow if Rangers keep playing the same way.
He said: “Things came together against County. We just couldn’t get the ball over the line. It was one of those days where the ball wasn’t going in the back of the net.
“I had one at the back post that I thought was going in but the foot came out of nowhere and it got deflected wide.
“But we dominated and the luck will come.”