'My Captain Fantastic': Mark Warburton talks pride in Tavernier's Rangers success, Gerrard's recruitment and future dominance

It wasn't just his feet Tavernier found. He discovered his voice. He found form and he brought goals and assists which, for a defender, borders on superhuman. Supporters looked at Tavernier back in 2015 as another run-of-the-mill player, having signed from Wigan following an unspectacular loan spell at Bristol City.

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But Warburton saw something different. He saw a player who was a danger at set-pieces and a threat going forward. Perhaps a player who could use some work on the defensive aspects of his game but, at the time, he could get away with it in the Scottish Championship. Fast-forward five years and Warburton's skipper has been through the wars.

He has been praised for his goal scoring exploits, criticised for his defensive lapses. He's been dubbed captain fantastic and written off as a liability. One might say Tavernier has been, in many ways, the personification of Rangers' fightback to the top of Scottish football. When he's good, he's terrific. Scoring delightful free-kicks and providing pin-point crosses for Morelos and co to tap-in and hog all the glory. When he's off form? Defensive errors costing goals including high-profile moments against Celtic and Young Boys to name a couple.

Warburton could always see exactly what he had in Tavernier. A player who understood the size of a club like Rangers. Not everyone does. That's why, with the league title finally sewn up, the QPR manager cannot wait to doff his cap to his skipper and raise a glass to the man he credits with being one of Gers' top players throughout their re-emergence as Scotland's elite.

"I still watch the results and the progress Rangers have made," Warbs told Herald and Times Sport. "This has been a huge year for obvious reasons, the club have invested and Steven Gerrard and his staff have done a great job. The squad has developed, they've added quality and they are quite rightly marching towards the title. It's a tremendous achievement.

"They had to close the gap on investment no matter what happened, they couldn't be that far behind Celtic again with the rivalry as it was. They had to also have the backing of the support to have any chance of success. They got that back, they spent wisely and deserve enormous credit for that.

"It could never be a token gesture, you look at the wage gap that existed for too long. Obviously Rangers going down and the financial troubles, but for Steven to have any chance he had to have that investment to be able to secure better quality player and reward those already there. Like James Tavernier and guys like that. Whatever is said, it comes down to investment and they got that backing. Gerrard has delivered it and I'm delighted for everyone involved with the club.

"James Tav came in at the start of my tenure, he and Martyn Waghorn were the first two guys part of my team, for relatively cheap money. He's given absolutely everything for the club and I'm so pleased. I remember a wee while ago hearing about Tavernier having a tough time and he was maybe not producing in games, but form is temporary and class is permanent.

"He's paid his way through, he has delivered and pushed through so many times over. I'm delighted for Tav, he's a top character on and off the field, I'm so so pleased that he's getting the rewards he undoubtedly deserves.

"What I like about him is that he recognises the responsibility. When anyone is given a captaincy at a club like Rangers it's not done lightly and Lee (Wallace, now with Warburton at QPR) was someone who deserved it. When you speak to Tav he'll tell you what he thinks of Lee Wallace. How highly he respects him. Tav recognises the responsibility of that role, what it means and what it encompasses. How he has to act, deliver, add value to the squad.

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"Tav gets it, he fully understands it and I have so much respect for him as a person. He's delivered for Rangers Football Club, it's what he's done and continues doing on a regular basis. It starts with his defensive responsibilities , his communication skills, all of it. He deserves enormous credit and I'm delighted to see it. I look forward to the day he lifts the trophy."

Recruitment was always going to be vital for Rangers this season and Gerrard undoubtedly got it right alongside sporting director Ross Wilson. Warburton has been impressed by the calibre of player the staff have brought to the club.

'Investment' is a word, when discussing his time at Ibrox, that Warburton never fails to mention. Because he was not afforded the same backing his successors have been handed. Pedro Caixinha was given big bucks and Gerrard has also been financially supported. But the former Brentford boss is not bitter about the situation. Not at all. He's simply happy to see Rangers splash the cash they needed to spend.

"The type of players Steven and Gary (McAllister) have secured have been very important," he said. "For example we tried to sign Connor Goldson at Nottingham Forest and couldn't afford him. We tried to sign Leon Balogun in the summer before he came to Glasgow. And he won't mind me saying this but when he told me Rangers were interested, I said to him, 'You've got to go'. You look at the experience they have in Davis, Jack, Defoe, Morelos, Kent, they've invested and brought in a nice mix of youth and energy and experience which is what you need. To have the backing and investment is what it all comes down to.

"You can want to implement ideas but you have to close the gap on a rival who has had more financial support for the last 10 years. Thankfully Rangers have now got that and they've responded. I've been frustrated previously when I heard. 'Warburton doesn't get the winning mentality'. Of course I do. But I refer back to investment and the fans have been so patient, they've had to wait and suffer Celtic winning year after year. Now is their time, I'm so so pleased. I know what it means to them and when Tav lives that trophy, trust me I'll have a nice glass of wine to say many congratulations to everyone at the club."

Warburton is loathe to talk too much about Celtic during our half-hour conversation as he's driving from London to Preston for a midweek English Championship fixture. But he acknowledges it's difficult to talk up Gers' achievements without, too, discussing the Hoops' 10 in a row downfall.

READ MORE: Rangers fans taunt Celtic with flyover at Tannadice as Ibrox club close in on 55th title

"The only thing I was surprised at was that Celtic knew Rangers would come. It was clear Rangers would invest but there was a lack of response from Celtic, which surprised me. I say it in a respectful way as I'm very conscious they've won a lot of titles. But that's it, the investment never really materialised and it gave Rangers an opening and they blew right through it.

"I'm so pleased they did, they saw the opportunity and they took it and that's the key thing for me. Now, every Rangers fan wants to see a decade of dominance, they've had to live through the last eight or nine years. But at the same time you want healthy competition in any league. People love that Atletico Madrid are pushing Real Madrid and Barcelona. They love Red Bull pushing Bayern Munich. Everyone benefits from that, the fans do.

"I think we'll see Celtic respond, it will be interesting to see what happens next season. Celtic will respond but Rangers recognise that and they'll be ready. What you don't want is to see investment and then the club turn the taps off. You want to see it continued and you want them to build and develop players. They'll go to that model which I'm sure they'll recognise, Ross Wilson is a top guy. I really think Rangers are ready now to dominate Scottish football but I have no doubt their nearest rivals will definitely respond."

Warburton has to go. He's got to pay a toll booth heading into Preston as he signs off on our conversation. But not before applauding Gers' loyal supporters. "The fans are fantastic, I don't have enough adjectives to use," he concluded. "I'll never forget when we beat Celtic in the semi-final and I made the comment that it was for the fans. It absolutely was because of what they'd been through. When Rangers went down the divisions they followed them, it was full houses and they backed their team."