Glasgow Rangers dropped further behind in the race to win the Scottish Premiership title on Sunday when they were beaten 3-2 by Motherwell at Ibrox.
The Gers have moved four points behind Hearts after their 2-1 win over Hibernian, and they ended the weekend in third place heading into the final four games of the campaign.
Danny Rohl decided to drop captain James Tavernier down to the bench after he started the 6-3 win over Falkirk in the club's last Premiership match.
The skipper came on at the break and helped the Gers to get back into the match at 2-2, winning 100% (4/4) of his aerial battles, but could do little to prevent Motherwell's winner.
Rohl may look back on the game and wonder whether or not he made the right call by dropping Tavernier to the bench for Dujon Sterling for this match.
Why James Tavernier should have started against Motherwell
It is easy to say with the benefit of hindsight, but the Gers should have started their captain against Motherwell because it was the first game of the split and the first real feeling of a proper title race moment at Ibrox.
Having Tavernier, who has been there and done at the club, on the pitch to help the players through a difficult first half could have been valuable, as the opening 45 minutes was nowhere near good enough.
The Light Blues were 2-0 down and had been played off the park by half-time, which is why the German boss needed to make three substitutions at the break, including bringing Tavernier on.
Whilst he may have his lapses in concentration defensively, the veteran Englishman still offers plenty of quality to the team in possession, leading the way in a host of creative metrics, and he could have improved the dismal first-half showing.
Tavernier is on his way out of Ibrox at the end of the season when his contract expires, having confirmed that he will not be signing an extension, and the defender is not the only player who should be let go this summer.
Rangers defender should follow James Tavernier out of Ibrox
The Rangers skipper may not be the only full-back who leaves Ibrox and does not return for the start of the 2026/27 campaign with Rohl's squad.
Jayden Meghoma is currently on loan in Glasgow from Brentford until the end of the season, having been signed by Russell Martin last summer, and he should not be brought back.
The young defender was substituted at half-time in the 3-2 defeat to Motherwell after a dismal opening 45 minutes that saw lapse defending down his side for both goals.
Meghoma came off the pitch at the break with zero offensive contributions, with no shots on target and no chances created, whilst he also offered very little to the team defensively, winning one duel. To make matters worse, his touch count of 32 was also much worse than even goalkeeper Jack Butland who registered 44.
His performance was so underwhelming that the manager had to take him off at the break, and that should be the last time he starts a game for Rangers because Tuur Rommens is expected to return from injury against Hearts next weekend.
Meghoma should be used as a back-up to the Belgian full-back for the final four matches before being sent back to Brentford, as a permanent option or another loan should not be pursued by the Gers.
The left-footed talent has had some decent moments in a Rangers shirt, such as his fantastic strike against Dundee United in December, but he has not provided consistent quality for the Scottish giants.
Meghoma has lost 52% of his duels in the Premiership, over 28 appearances, and this shows that opposition players have found it far too easy to get the better of him in physical battles.
He has also gone nine matches without a goal or an assist in the Premiership, as his last assist was against Aberdeen in January, and the defender is not making up for his physical shortcomings with quality offensively.
That is why the Gers should send Meghoma out of Ibrox this summer, alongside Tavernier, and recruit another left-back to compete with Rommens for next season.
