Ibrox And The Continued Fantasy That They Can Attract “Top Quality” English Players.

Oh James Tavernier, in some ways we’ll miss you when you’re gone. The “Ibrox captain” is one of the most over-rated people in the history (the short history, I grant you) at that club.

The idea that he is a top player has been exploded over and over again.

Yesterday he sat in front of the media and someone asked him if Ibrox was an attractive prospect for top English players. He said yes and even offered to go and talk to them and give them the sales pitch if that’s what they required.

And it was all designed to boost the hopes of their fans that some of these “top players” are on the way.

But they aren’t. They aren’t on the way.

There is no universe in which Tom Cantwell and Tom Davies are considered “top players” in that league because if they were then the Ibrox club would not even be in the races here; they’d have been blown out by clubs with more money before negotiations even opened.

Cantwell has been all over the papers for nearly a week and the only bid for him was a phantom one from Blackburn Rovers. He could have been had for a mere £1.5 million.

If you read my piece yesterday, on The Record’s “so bad I was sure it was a spoof” article bigging him up, containing such gems as “he doesn’t like to header the ball. He doesn’t like to tackle. Don’t play him in an away game where you need to dig in” you can maybe see why.

These aren’t top players.

They are guys who have floundered at their current clubs and in spite of being able to negotiate with who they want few are biting, and what you need to remember here is that we’re now post-Brexit where English based players are the only one’s clubs there can easily sign … you’d think any player with genuine talent would have his pick of clubs in those leagues.

Of course Ibrox can attract these guys; when no-one wants you and their club comes calling with offers of good money for playing in the SPL you are going to jump at it.

You can tell from the tone of some of the reporting that they are dying to sell The Mooch as part of the draw. But they can’t.

That’s a hard sell even for the likes of them, because Beale has no managerial pedigree and is known only for being Gerrard’s supporting act. Still people at Ibrox cling to the fantasy that there is some force connected with his name.

They live in a fantasy over there, and this idea that they are a draw for top names in England is just another part of the reality bending universe they inhabit.