James Tavernier - Rangers' captain fantastic leading the way
Last updated on .From the section Rangers
In terms of players of the season so far in the Premiership, there is already one outstanding candidate.
Rangers captain James Tavernier has been peerless. As his team stretch out at the top of the table, the Englishman's influence both in defence and attack has been pivotal.
But how good has he been? BBC Scotland takes a look...
More clean sheets than a laundrette
Tavernier, 29, played a captain's role in Rangers' 4-0 rout in Dingwall going forward - with the BBC Sport Scotland audience voting him man of the match - but at the back they were once again formidable.
The Ibrox side have kept 14 clean sheets out of 16 games on league duty this term, the best record of any team in Europe.
Their rampaging right-back has more than played his part. Across his 16 league matches, Tavernier has made 35 tackles and 15 interceptions.
With Tavernier an ever present, Rangers' defensive record is rather something. On his watch they concede just an average of 4.6 shots on their own goal per game across all competitions. That's almost half the amount of title rivals Celtic, and almost four times less than Hamilton Academical.
According to Whoscored.com, the Rangers right-back is the best-rated defender in the Scottish top flight based on metrics such as tackles, interceptions, fouls, offsides and clearances.
'His influence is enormous' - tormentor-in-chief
A centre-forward would be proud of Tavernier's stats. The Englishman has 16 goals this season, nine of which have come from the penalty spot.
As well as getting on the scoresheet in the Highlands on Sunday, the former Wigan Athletic man also claimed two assists, taking his Premiership tally to seven.
In total, Tavernier has contributed to 37% of Rangers' league goals this season, while he has scored twice and provided three assists in the Europa League group stage.
"His influence is enormous," said former Rangers winger Neil McCann on Sportsound.
"He just affects the game so positively for Rangers. He creates another point of attack which allows the wide player to come inside and almost make another centre-forward.
"The superlatives just keep coming and I don't think they are going to stop. This Rangers bandwagon is rolling on strong."
This year's top goalscorer?
After notching another goal in Dingwall on Sunday, Tavernier told Sky Sports he's hoping to hit 20 goals this season, proving the point he's clearly forgotten he's a right-back.
But could he be this year's top scorer in the Premiership? Given how much time he spends in the opposing half, you'd be silly to bet against him.
Against Ross County, Tavernier spent more time in the opposing half than his own, but that's nothing unusual.
Last season, Odsonne Edouard finished top scorer in the Premiership with 22 goals after 27 matches. The year before, Alfredo Morelos netted 17 in 27 games to be crowned the league's best marksman.
With Edouard averaging 0.88 goals per game last year and Morelos 0.69 the year before, Tavernier's average goal per game of 0.62 makes him well placed to be in contention this season if his form holds up. Obviously taking Rangers' penalties helps too.
"His numbers are incredible for a full-back," former Celtic winger and current Belgium coach Shaun Maloney told Sportscene.
"You have him in a wide position with [Ryan] Kent and it creates fear. He's been exceptional."
'He's up there with Walker and Johnson' - gaffer's praise
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard
People will talk about the assists and the goals, but I judge James differently.
I judge him on as soon as he walks through the door, what's he doing? Is he helping me set the standards? Is he professional in everything he does? Is he leading by example? Is he helping the young lads? Is he making sure everyone is at it and the culture remains strong?
His numbers are top-level stuff. I have played with some fantastic attacking right-backs - Kyle Walker, Glen Johnson, Steve Finnan to name a few.
Tav is right up there. The way we play really suits James. The pleasing thing for me is he is still contributing to the other side of the game. He's pressing, he's really aggressive, he's winning his duels, stopping crosses.
Our clean sheet record, to me, is just as important as James' other numbers. Where he is right now, he needs to bottle it and stay there for as long as he can because he's in fantastic form.
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