Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 4-1 in the big Derby match on Monday night, as Kenny Miller’s side stays perfect in league play. After the match, new signing James Tavernier spoke to the media about his time with the team so far.

‏

Did it surprise you to see the atmosphere here in Israel, of course, in the derby? You’ve been to the very best atmospheres in football at Old Firm, of course. You saw Bloomfield today. How was it?

‏”Funny enough, I literally rang my wife after the game and said, “This atmosphere was obviously unbelievable.” It’s very different, but yeah, it felt special. I’ve obviously experienced a lot of atmospheres in Europe and at Ibrox, but this was a special atmosphere. From the moment we warmed up throughout the game, obviously it definitely helps when you’re winning, but the atmosphere was unbelievable.”

‏Your decision to join Maccabi Tel Aviv was a bit of a surprise for a lot of people. You had a great career, Maccabi Tel Aviv is a great club, but still, what convinced you to join and move to Israel?

‏”Obviously the coach, Kenny, was a big part of it. He first rang us when I was in America on holiday with my family. He pitched that this is a club that wants to win things, and explained how passionate the club and the fans are.

‏

“When I decided to leave Rangers, I wanted a new challenge. I especially wanted to be in the sun after experiencing 11 years in the rain a lot! ‏I had options, but this one was about wanting to go to a place where I had the opportunity to win things, because I’ve always wanted to win things since I was a little kid. This was a great opportunity. ‏Me just being in the door the past couple of weeks, experiencing the fans, the team and the club, it’s really special. I’m really happy that I made the choice. I can’t wait to get fully match fit. Two games and a couple of training sessions in, once I’m fully match fit, I think you’ll see the best of me.”

‏

James, in your first game, you talked with the defenders, with Ali, with Raz, you were moving them into position, and you used the crowd and the fans to cheer them up. Do you think that Kenny wants you to be one of the leaders of the team?

‏”I think obviously with my experience. I’d always love to say that I’m 21, but that’s not the fact! I’ve got a lot of experience in the game, and Kenny obviously wanted to bring that into the team. ‏Just organising, helping the team out, helping the lads out. You can see tonight we can still work on a few things, even as a back line. ‏I feel the two goals we’ve conceded in the past two games could have been avoided, but that’s down to us to improve every week, on the training pitch and in the games. I think we’ll be better and better as the games go on. ‏I think we’ll be stronger. It’s really exciting to be in a team like this because everyone’s hungry. You’ve seen today the subs that came on the pitch. They made a real impact, and that’s what you want in a winning team, so I’m really excited.”

‏

James, was it a surprise in your mind that Kenny went with you in the lineup after three or four days in Israel without training with the team?

‏”Well, yes. I’m obviously going to say I’m ready to play and I’ll give everything I possibly can. ‏It’s a lot hotter today compared to last week, a lot more humid. But yeah, I’m obviously going to get fitter with the minutes on the pitch, so that’s key. ‏I think we’ve got one more game before the international break, so I can really put in the hard work to be where I need to be in terms of match fitness. But while I’m on the pitch, I’m just going to help the lads as much as I can.”

‏James, congratulations on the victory here. When you decided to come, Maccabi had just been knocked out of Europe. How did that factor into your decision that you’re not going to be able to play in European competition, either the Europa League or Conference League, and that you’d be coming here to play in the Israeli league? Of course, if you win the league, you have a chance of playing in the Champions League. How did that play into your decision? You signed a 1+1 year contract.

‏”Yeah, obviously, I kept a close eye on it. It was never really going to be the deciding factor. ‏I think Kenny really pitched something really good to us, and it really attracted us compared to the rest of the offers I had. I was really excited about it. ‏I felt like a kid going to a new school. It was all fresh, and there were things that we could possibly win.

‏

“You see the history of the club, all the things they’ve won, so I wanted to obviously add to that. To do that this season, and hopefully we can win as much as we can, then you obviously have that option of the Champions League in the following season.”

‏James, I noticed that every pass you point to where you want the next pass to go. You’re like a coach on the field.

‏”I try to use my experience, and that’s the thing. ‏In the past two games, we felt that maybe we can keep the ball a little bit more. We tried to force it a couple of times. It’s just about picking the right things at the right time. ‏I think the more and more we play, the more and more we get stronger together, the easier it will be for the boys. ‏I’m just there on the pitch to try and help everyone and give it my all.”

‏Coming to Israel at this point in time, in the world that we live in, what went through your mind? What were the things that you wanted to make sure of before arriving in Israel? And what was the feedback that you got back home? Because I think the first tweet about your move got four or five million views on Twitter, so it was a big deal for a lot of people.

‏”I think, obviously, what you read and see back home, I don’t think it does justice to Israel itself. ‏From what I’ve experienced, it’s a beautiful place. What I’m more excited about is that my family’s going to be moving over. ‏After the international break, we’ve never lived apart, and I never really wanted that. But my wife decided that she wants to come out, and she’s really looking forward to it because she’s experienced a good week here. ‏It’s such a beautiful place and beautiful people. Obviously, you know there’s stuff that’s happening around, but from what I’ve experienced, it’s been really lovely.”

‏When you guys played together, could you tell he had what it takes to be a head coach?

‏”Yeah, definitely. I definitely could tell. ‏Him and my captain at the time, Lee Wallace, he really showed that they were going to go into management. He’s the exact same as a player. ‏He always wanted the standards to be really high, and he drives that into the team now. That’s his really strong point. He sets his standards, and he always wants the best. ‏I think that will really work for the boys.”

We don’t see you overlap often. Instead, you’re more cutting inside and contributing to the buildup. Is it something that Kenny asked you to do, or is it more about your fitness?

‏”I think the more you see the games going, you’ll see me more bombing up and down the line, getting on the overlaps, and just trying to gauge myself into the games. There’s not much match fitness into the games, but I think the more weeks go on, you’ll see me on the overlap, underlap, and supporting from deep. ‏It’s just recognising what strengths we have as well, because our wingers are a really big, vital part of our team, and letting them go one-on-one with the defenders. ‏It’s just about being strong at the back and making sure we’re not going to concede any counter-attacks. ‏You’ll see more and more in the coming weeks. I’ll be getting more forward.”