Steven Gerrard calls for club to protect Rangers stars amid fury over James Tavernier programme notes

Club captain was slammed by fans for what he wrote prior to Hamilton game

Steven Gerrard has called on people behind the scenes at Rangers to do more to protect his players from fan criticism.

The Ibrox boss was quizzed about something captain James Tavernier was credited with writing in the club’s official programme prior to the 1-0 defeat to Hamilton.

The right-back admitted he and his team-mates weren't good enough domestically to react to opponents getting in their faces.

Rangers captain James Tavernier came in for criticism over something he wrote in the official programme. Picture: SNS

It caused outrage among the Rangers support, who accused the skipper of lacking the mental strength to lead the team out on the park on a weekly basis.

This came after Ryan Kent admitted Rangers were more comfortable being the underdog when asked why they had been stronger in Europe than in domestic football in 2020.

Gerrard defended the comments made by his players, but still believes they could be helped more by people from within the club to avoid future slip-ups.

He said: "We're not always going to say the right things. From time to time the players, myself or the staff are going to get things wrong, especially in the heat of the moment.

"We're a club where we need protection at times. We need people to look out for us at times and help us."