Why Tavernier Still Makes Sense at Right-Back

Tavernier remains my pick at right-back. McCrorie might offer something, but I can't see him improving the team balance. We need full-backs who attack and a system to cover them.

To be fair, I’d pick Tavernier at right-back every time. The short version: he fits how we want to play, attacking full-backs who force overloads, and bringing in someone who’s merely 'better than Aarons' doesn’t fix the bigger balance issues.

Full-backs and the team balance

A full-back is more than an upgrade in a spreadsheet. If you want players bombing on and offering width, the rest of the team has to be built round that. We need midfield cover when the full-back is high, quicker transitions for when possession is lost and clearer roles for the centre-halves. That’s tactical work, not just who’s got the better foot.

To be fair, you can see why someone would want a fresh face from England. But the job at RB is as much about understanding the team shape as it is raw ability. If McCrorie can’t slot into the pressing patterns and recover runs we make, he becomes a liability rather than an upgrade.

Squad value and McCrorie questions

I’m not sold on the Transfermarkt figure being the full story, the thread rightly points out his value is listed at £3M, but market tags don’t automatically make a player a fit. Championship players can adapt, sure, but adaptation takes time and the right role.

The squad benefit in terms of European registration is real for depth. That said, you can understand people arguing that bringing someone in purely for being a 'trained in Europe' squad filler isn’t clever squad building. I’d take a youth option who knows our system as backup before a stopgap who doesn’t.

What I'd rather see

Personally, I’d rather we promoted the young lad who was on loan at Falkirk last season as the backup. He’ll already have an understanding of the club level and could be eased in. Squad harmony matters; players knowing the patterns and who covers for them can be worth more than a marginal upgrade on paper.

So yeah, Tavs for me. Don’t get me wrong, I like competition, but signing someone just because he’s 'better' than another name on a list isn’t clever unless the system is set to accommodate him. Work on the structure around the FB and we’ll get the best out of whoever wears number two. That’s how I see it, anyway.

Written by Angus1812: 6 July 2026