Move north has taught Joe he has to be brave
Joe Aribo believes he’s a changed man.
The Rangers midfielder admits that people used to accuse him of lacking mental strength.
His ability on the ball was never in doubt, but some wondered if he had the character to be a really top player.
Moving from Charlton Athletic to Rangers was always going to put that to the test.
The history of Scottish football is littered with players who find the pressure of representing one of the Old Firm is too hard to handle.
Aribo insists that coping with a nail-biter like Rangers’ tense 1-1 draw with Young Boys that sent them into the knockout stage of the Europa League, shows he is made of stern stuff.
He said: “Playing in England was relentless, but the difference here is that we have to win every game.
“In the lower leagues down south, there just isn’t that level of pressure. You could lose and, although it hurt, you felt like there was always next week.
“There was less expectancy at Charlton. We won a lot of games, but it wasn’t like it is here.
“Rangers are one of the giants and that brings so much pressure.
“We have to battle with them across the road every single week.
“For me, it’s made me a better character. It’s made me back myself more.
“In the past, some people might have said I was a bit weak-minded, but being here has definitely made me the person I’m going to be in the future.
“Before, I was too inconsistent. I’d be good one week, then the next week maybe not so good.
“I’ve learned up here that I need to be on it every single game, or I won’t play.”
There will be some Rangers supporters who feel there’s still a bit of work to do when it comes to consistency.
Aribo, however, is up for the challenge of proving to them, and boss Steven Gerrard, that he should be a regular in the team.
He went on: “It’s a mindset of telling yourself not to be scared, to get on the ball and be relentless.
“You have to ask yourself, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’.
“Whether people think they’ve seen the best of me so far is for them to judge. But, for me, there’s more to come. “
In just five months, the 23-year-old has jumped from League One to Scotland’s top flight, sampled European football, played in a cup final and become a full international with Nigeria.
He went on: “Getting to the knock-out stages in Europe is definitely the highlight of it all so far. This is a massive one.
“I’ve also had success at international level.
“But, to be honest, I haven’t really had time to sit down and take it all in.”