Let's dance the merry dance through the ever exciting life of James Tavernier, born on 31 October 1991 in sunny England. A versatile lass, primarily playing as a right back, at the height of 5ft 8in (1.75m) and a robust weight of 12st 10lb (81kg), currently plying his trade for Rangers. Shrewsbury, MK Dons, Bristol City... frankly it seems Tavernier's enjoyed a whistle-stop tour of the English football pyramid.
It's rather unfortunate that his early foray into professional football with Newcastle United in the 2012 - 2013 season found Tavernier warming up the bench or perhaps the reserve team pitch, only making two appearances for the first team. You can't help but feel for the lad, who likely had the Newcastle tea lady more acquainted with his playing style than the fans.
Merely six months later, Newcastle had him off to Gateshead on loan where he clocked 13 appearances in the National League. Perhaps they were fond of his bench-warming skills. More loan transfers followed, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V seemed to be the order of the day with his agent.
Indeed, following Gateshead, Tavernier found himself doing the rounds at Carlisle United, Sheffield Wednesday, and MK Dons - truly a testament to his nomadic nature or perhaps the amount of 'Loan Agreement' contract templates kept handy by Newcastle United's administration team.
Continuing around the English football circuit like a hyperactive greyhound, he spent time at Shrewsbury and Rotherham in the 2013 - 2014 season, with a grand total of 28 appearances and five goals to his name. Not too shabby for a defender.
Amidst all these grand adventures, in June 2014, Wigan Athletic managed to get their hands on him for an 'undisclosed fee', probably using part of the budget reserved for half-time oranges and extra training cones.
However, the magpie in Tavernier called for a new shiny adventure once again, this time at Bristol City on yet another loan, followed by a permanent move to Rangers in July 2015. The fee was around a whopping ยฃ200k, which probably bought Rangers a loyal defender, and Wigan a new team bus.
As a Rangers player, Tavernier seems to have found some relative stability, appearing regularly and even finding the net on occasion. Over the past nine seasons, he's etched his mark at the club with numerous appearances and a goal tally that most strikers would not be entirely disappointed with.
Ever versatile, he's staked his place in the League Cup, Scottish Cup, and the Europa League with characteristic industriousness. Sadly, his Celtic performance history is off limits, but given his wavering early career, one canโt help but feel a degree of...well, sympathy. Welcome to Scottish football, Tavernier.
