LASZLO THE LION TAMER
United boss ‘can control’ Mohsni
CONFIDENT Csaba Laszlo last night vowed to tame former Rangers bad boy Bilel Mohsni after his shock return to Scotland. As Sportsmail exclusively revealed last Friday, Mohsni is back in the Championship with Dundee United, who have moved to secure the centre-back on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
The 30-year-old Tunisian left Scottish football back in May 2015 following shameful scenes when he kicked and punched Motherwell’s Lee Erwin at the end of Rangers’ play-off final defeat at Fir Park. He was handed a seven-game SFA ban for the incident.
But Hungarian Laszlo is convinced he can keep Mohsni, whose last club was Etoile du Sahel in France, under control as he prepares to make his debut away to Queen of the South tonight.
Laszlo said: ‘I don’t have a worry because I think I can control him. I did tell him that he is someone who made a mistake but deserves to get a new chance. He knows this.
‘I have watched the video (of the incident) two or three times and he made a mistake.
‘I told him that while Motherwell were staying in the Premiership and didn’t have to provoke the other side, he did not have to act like that when someone provoked him.
‘What we want is controlled aggression and that’s what we talk about all the time.
‘Even if you see the games in the Championship, everybody must be that way. If you are a nice boy, you are going to lose. You need controlled aggression.’
Laszlo revealed how a heart-to-heart with new club scout and former United boss Paul Sturrock persuaded him to move for Mohsni.
‘Paul and I talked for a long time and he recommended the player to me,’ said Laszlo. ‘This is not a secret.
‘He told me: “Look, Csaba, if you can control him then he will maybe bring freshness to United”.
‘You can also see in training that he can be positive for the club. I also feel that everybody deserves a second chance.
‘People make mistakes but if they learn from them and don’t do it again, then that is what is important.
‘I am not going to say that he can play 90 minutes without any problem but I think he will be good for 60 minutes.
‘He has been training in France, but the game time is not there yet. He can play in this game and is in our squad, though.
‘He can give us more aggression and he knows the Championship, having played there for Rangers. He is a free agent and was keen to come back to Scotland.
‘Hopefully, he can help us. It is a deal to the end of the season and, after that, we will see.’
Laszlo knows his fourth-top side desperately need a result in Dumfries tonight as they bid to keep their promotion hopes alive.
Gary Naysmith’s side can overtake United — and knock them out of the play-off positions — if they win although Laszlo’s men have three games in hand on the Doonhamers.
‘We have 13 games in seven weeks, so we need bodies.It will be difficult,’ said Laszlo.
‘We have played four games fewer than St Mirren and three fewer than Livingston. That is a lot. We have to manage this, so it’s good to get a new player.’