Tavernier: Rangers win over Sparta showed players' hunger

Rangers captain James Tavernier believes the team’s performance against Sparta Prague showed that there is still a real appetite for success at the club.

A 2-0 win on Thursday night sealed progress to the knockout stage of the Europa League and came just days after a brusinging semi-final exit in the Legaue cup after a 3-1 defeat to HIbs.

After that loss, Rangers defender Connor Goldson said the team had “lost a bit of hunger” after winning the league last season, while new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst addressed that earlier this week, saying he wanted to see real desire from the players.

Having seen off Sparta Prague and delivered again in Europe, Tavernier said he felt the team had bounced back from their weekend disappointment and demonstrated there’s no lack of ambition.

“The boys are always hungry,” he said. “They’re at Rangers for a reason. They’re at Rangers to be winning trophies, to be winning games every single week.

“When the boss came in at the start of the week, I knew even before his arrival the boys were looking forward to working with him, and you’ve seen how much of that came out in the game last night.

“The focus on the game plan and what the boss wanted us to do, we carried it out the best we could in the short amount of time we had. I think it’s only going to get better in the time we work together.

“The hunger, it’s one of those where the weekend’s frustrations can kick in. It’s still very raw after a game.

“But the hunger’s always there for the boys. That should never be in doubt.

“We’re always looking to improve ourselves and I though last night was a great example of coming off a difficult weekend to bounce back with a strong result.”