Todd Cantwell couldn’t resist reaching out to James Tavernier following Rangers’ decision to sack Philippe Clement on Sunday.
Rangers made their announcement to dismiss Clement via a press release on February 23, coming on the heels of a humiliating 2-0 defeat to St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership, witnessed by their own fans at Ibrox.
With a crucial match against Kilmarnock scheduled for Wednesday (February 26), the Glasgow giants wasted no time in appointing Barry Ferguson as their interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Clement paid a final visit to Auchenhowie on Monday (February 24), but it’s clear that the Light Blues have already moved on from the Belgian. However, not everyone has done the same.
Cantwell takes a ‘Talibans’ jab at Clement:
Cantwell’s issues with Clement are well-documented, as he effectively forced his way out of the 50-year-old’s squad during the summer. The Blackburn attacker appeared to take a sly dig at the now-departed manager by posting a picture of himself listening to the song Talibans by Byron Messia on Instagram on Monday.
Cantwell also included a message directed at his former Rangers teammate Tavernier, hinting that he, too, was dissatisfied with Clement’s management.
“Sun’s out, so is our tune,” Cantwell wrote, accompanied by a laughing emoji, while tagging Tavernier.
Rangers must disregard Cantwell:
It comes as no surprise that Cantwell is pleased to see Clement shown the door at Rangers.
The strained relationship between the pair during their time together at Ibrox is no secret. Clement was notably furious with Cantwell and Danilo over a goal celebration during a UEFA Europa League match against Sparta Prague on one occasion.
| Player | Matches | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantwell | 36 | 2224′ | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| Tavernier | 81 | 6938′ | 22 | 21 | 8 |
Cantwell and Tavernier’s record under Clement at Rangers
However, it remains to be seen how Tavernier feels about his former manager, who stood by the captain even during a difficult spell earlier in the season.
While the right-back has remained tight-lipped about Clement’s departure, it’s notable that Cantwell tagged him in his latest Instagram story.
There’s ample reason to believe that Cantwell and Tavernier have stayed in contact since the former’s transfer last summer.
