Think we are going to love Mohsni.


COLOURFUL ... Mohsni models the club's new away kit
Mohsni: My temper tantrums could’ve wrecked my career

BILEL MOHSNI was in grave danger of falling into a temper trap.
The French-Tunisian stopper had earned a bad name for his wild ways on the pitch — but off-field anger management issues put his career on the line.
Controversially denied a £100,000 move from Southend to West Ham last summer, Mohsni lost the plot and threatened to quit football.
Having picked up 19 yellows and three red cards in his first two years in the English game, this furious reaction was in keeping with his reputation. But Mohsni, 26, now claims he is a reformed character after checking in at Rangers.
He said: “I was getting frustrated and I started to lose my temper a lot at Southend.
“I realised I had to control it. My temper was starting to have an affect on my career.
“But it’s frustrating when you have the opportunity to play in the Premier League and it doesn’t happen.
“The Southend chairman told me the fee and my agent said that was okay for West Ham. But then the chairman changed his mind. It was very hard to accept. I could have changed my life. My whole family would have been able to watch me play on TV.
“I went back to France after and everyone was so happy for me. To have to then tell them ‘No’ was so frustrating.
“At that point I asked myself, ‘Why do I play football?’. I wanted to go to the highest level but when I tried, one person stopped me.
“I did think about quitting the game. I was at home when I found out the news. I trained alone and I thought that maybe football wasn’t for me. But my family and my agent told me that I had to play football and luckily I have found a good club in Rangers.”
Mohsni has signed a two-year deal at Ibrox and controls his temper better now — but admits he is still a sore loser.

BAD BOY ... after a red card in England
The versatile star — who can play on the wing or up front — claims he only became a hothead after getting fed up with being kicked all the time.
He said: “I don’t take losing well. It doesn’t matter if I have a good game. If the team plays bad, I am disappointed.
“Some players say you have to be selfish but I’m not. I always think about what I did wrong in the game and try to do better next time. The problem with my temper started when I was playing as a striker. You receive a lot of elbows and kicks.
“In France, players are protected by referees. In the UK, they just leave it.”
Mohsni could have been wearing green and white had things worked out differently last year — after Celtic were linked with a move for him.
He claims he would have jumped at the chance to go to Parkhead — and has no idea why the trial fell through.
He said: “I don’t know what happened with Celtic. There was an offer. It never went further, so I didn’t come to Scotland. Maybe it was something to do with the chairman but I didn’t have any news.
“It’s strange how things work out. Sometimes you don’t know what happens behind the scenes. I was prepared to go to Celtic — I was going to go.”
Mohsni is a late developer and didn’t turn pro until he was 22. The Paris-born star speaks good English and insists the Scottish accent isn’t a problem — after getting a crash course from ex-Southend gaffer Paul Sturrock.
It was Luggy who tipped off Ally McCoist about Mohsni’s availability and the new Gers ace admits he can’t thank him enough. He said: “Paul was a great manager and he and I were very close. He was fantastic with me.
“I would like to thank him and I have done so. We speak regularly because we were more like friends than player and manager.
“Before I came to Southend at 22 I was working as a teacher’s assistant in France.
“I called Paul on Saturday after I signed my contract with Rangers to thank him for everything.”
Mohsni — set to face Dundee at Dens Park tonight — can’t play competitive games until September due to signing rules. That stop-start opening to his Gers career did make him ponder whether it was the right move — but gaffer McCoist put his mind at rest.
He said: “The fact I can’t play until September is frustrating. It was the only thing that made me hesitate over signing.
“But the manager told me we would have friendly games against good opposition and that I’d be match-fit. It’s only four weeks, so it will be okay.
“The staff at Rangers have been fantastic for me. The players are closer than they are at other teams.
“Normally you think that maybe someone like the manager will be arrogant, but that’s not the case. He is so friendly and the door is always open.”

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