Richard Foster has saluted James Tavernier amidst a season of landmarks that has brought the right-back more criticism than he has ever faced before in his eight years at Ibrox.

Former Gers defender Foster, now a BBC pundit ready to embark on a coaching career after hanging up his boots, believes the captain remains a magnificent asset for Michael Beale after reaching 500 pro games and 100 career goals.

Foster, a Premier title winner under Walter Smith in 2011, insisted: “His quality going forward from right-back is exceptional and his numbers are unbelievable.

“You have to allow for the fact that he is going to make mistakes and he is going to be in the wrong position at times. He makes mistakes and it’s not always about the fact that he is a bad defender or anything like that.

“When he was at his best he had a peak Ryan Jack dropping in to fill the holes he left behind him. Kevin Thomson did the same thing for Steven Whittaker in that UEFA Cup Final team back in 2008.”

Tavernier’s recent error for Daizen Maeda’s opener in the 2-2 Old Firm draw brought more spotlight on his defensive qualities.

The performances of youngster Adam Devine at left-back also sparked some debate on whether the captain should always be an automatic pick.

READ MORE: How Michael Beale's Rangers are finding right-sided synergy

Foster is not having it and he insisted: “Look at those numbers of 500 games and 100 goals, Tavernier produces numbers that are out of his world then makes a defensive mistake and gets slaughtered.

“Look at what he has done and brought to the table. Yes, he gets caught on his heels as a defender sometimes but his attacking ability far outweighs any negatives. James scores and creates far more goals than he concedes and I think that should always be remembered when you assess what he brings as a captain and has done as a player since he came to the club.”

Rangers Review: (Image: NQ)

Having worked under Smith and then Ally McCoist playing for Gers in the Premiership, the Championship and League One across two spells in light blue Foster is fascinated at how the Beale era is unfolding. Foster was intrigued to see how Steven Gerrard’s no2 handled the tricky situation of working with players who now must call him Gaffer.

He stressed: “Michael has come into Rangers and I feel been open with the players and not tried to dictate to them. He shows some vulnerability and I think that endears him to the players. How he gets his message across is key and so far I think he is doing that in the right way.

“He’s gone from being the assistant last time to inheriting a van Bronckhorst team that played in a completely different way to the one he constructed with Steven Gerrard. Gio’s team had the wingers wide and the build-up was much slower and that’s not the Beale way.

“Now they have to evolve into this style against a backdrop of not being able to lose a single game because Celtic are so far ahead. There is no time for good performances without points now and, while Rangers fans won’t want to hear this, I think you will get a better gauge of Beale’s Gers next season. By the time next season starts, it will be his team.”