I can’t change but I don’t need help, says Mohsni
BILEL MOHSNI has rejected the suggestion that he needs to seek professional help to rid his game of reckless red cards.
Former Rangers midfielder Alex Rae had advised the Tunisian internationalist to meet with a psychologist in the wake of a pre-season dismissal at Derby County for a diving headbutt on striker Chris Martin.
Rae admitted that, at the age of 30, he addressed his own destructive anger with an expert to stop his playing career forever being blighted by suspensions.
However, after a sixth red card in four years in British football sentenced the defender to miss the first two games of the competitive season, Mohsni vowed to tackle his temper issues.
And he was content to delve no deeper into the problem than letting manager Ally McCoist talk over the dangers of disciplinary problems wrecking his Rangers career.
‘Sometimes I need to calm down but no psychologist is needed,’ said Mohsni. ‘This is fine. It’s just me. I treat the game 100 per cent. I don’t try to hide myself away if there is a problem. I just always give my best.
‘I can’t change because, if I do, I will not be the same player. But I will not forget what I did at Derby because I let the fans, my team-mates, the manager and the staff down. I beat myself up more than any other player. I was very, very upset. I need to move on and show I can do better than that.
‘I am not in the head of my manager so I don’t know, but we had a chat and, yeah, I think it would be too much if I had another red card.
‘It would depend on the situation, of course. If I had two tackles then that is fair but if I lose my temper like at Derby ... yeah.
‘The relationship I have with the manager and the staff is very nice. I like them and I want to stay at this club. So I was more upset with myself because they have given me a lot and what I gave back was not what I wanted. I need to win back the manager’s trust now.’
Mohsni’s assault on Martin was retaliation for a barge by the Scotland forward and the 27-year-old admits he was taken aback by the tactics of his opponent in a friendly match.
Being prone to such wildly rash reactions may be a weak spot that the more cunning Championship rivals will attempt to expose when playing against the combustible Mohsni, who was booked on Friday night as Rangers won 2-0 at Falkirk in the defender’s first game back from suspension.
‘I try to play fair on the pitch,’ he stressed. ‘I don’t kick the striker on purpose, I don’t try to injure him.
‘But you meet different types of players, different types of mentality.
‘From the first red card I got in England I know strikers will try to wind me up, so I prepare for it before I come to the pitch. Sometimes I react. Sometimes I don’t.’