GROWING up on a tough housing estate in Bradford, James Tavernier’s parents split up when he was just four.
The family home was burgled not long after, forcing Tav to throw a protective arm around his younger brother Marcus.
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It’s been there ever since.
As their mum Bernie continued to make sacrifices, he was there to help raise his sibling.
Rangers ace Tavernier, 31, said: “My mum was a single parent, my parents split up when I was four. But my dad was connected to my life.
“I grew up on a rough council estate where my house got burgled.
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“My brother is seven years younger, so it was a case of me looking after him from when I was very young.
“My mum gave me that mentality very young. When you grow up in those kind of places, generally you grow up mentally tougher and that’s what I’ve always been.
“I try to instil that into my kids now but it’s a different world now.
“Life is never perfect, you have your ups and downs.
“You have to make mistakes as that’s what makes you stronger. I always believe that.
“There have been mistakes in the past at Rangers.
“I’ve made mistakes here in games and if you’re a character, a strong character, you learn from that and thrive in that environment to make yourself better.
“It’s a different scenario, but you always try to make yourself better.”
Tavernier has come under heavy fire for Gers’ calamitous start to the campaign.
Many fans wanted him stripped of the armband — a view not shared by new boss Philippe Clement.
Tav will lead out his side against Hibs on Saturday for the Belgian’s first game in charge.
He revealed: “I tend not to look at social media. I have three kids, so I am very busy at home.
“I have never really been affected by social media.
“Everyone has their comments and everyone is entitled to comment, but it is down to me as a person to know where I am going wrong and how to improve myself.
“That is the way I have been brought up, always with a strong mind coming from my mum. You just try to keep moving forward. I never listen to the noise outside. It is something I don’t really think of.
“I appreciate that from the gaffer. I am here, first and foremost, as a squad player to try and make this team better.
“I have a responsibility as the captain and I will try to do my utmost and my best all the time.
“It is something I will always try to improve as a person and a player, and you have just got to keep moving forward.”
Clement is Tav’s sixth manager in eight years at Ibrox.
The 49-year-old is Gers’ fourth boss in just 23 months.
There’s no doubt Tavernier has felt the strain this season, but he believes that by putting on a united front, they can haul their campaign back on track.
He added: “When you are losing the manager, it is never nice.
“If you are losing the gaffer then you are not pulling through with the results.
“I’m at the front with the manager, so we get the full brunt of it. But I have big shoulders and can accept what comes my way.
“You have to learn and try to improve, especially as a player.
“As a captain you have to try and learn from it, galvanise the squad and go again.
“I had a good chat with the gaffer and it is a two-way street between us and the fans.
“I have been here over the years and had great experiences in the stadium, when the fans have been behind us and when the performances have been what the fans deserve.
“We always want the supporters to back us, no matter what the situation is that we are in. We have to give them the performances that they are looking for.
“It is always a two-way street. I believe both of us together can be very strong.”
Tavernier insists Clement has impressed the Rangers squad with his work ethic and fresh ideas.
Yet he stressed: “It is still the early stages, and he is trying to put his identity on the team.
“We will be working on that every day and you’ll see it when we play.
“It is refreshing and it is good to see a different aspect of how to play football again.
“We are all really tuned into what he wants and we have got to implement it as quickly as possible.
“There is nothing drastic in terms of change. It will take time working day-by-day, week-by-week, and that is the message from the gaffer.
“He puts his small imprints, and then in the grand scheme of things later down the line, we should be having a lot more different variations in the team.
“He wants us to win games. He is a winner himself.
“He wants us to play a certain way and wants us to fight and win games.
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“We already want to do that, but he has raised the standards as soon as he has come in and it is all about improving as a team and each other.”
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