NACHO: If this is my final season

[Bazza 21]

NACHO: IF THIS IS MY FINAL SEASON AT GERS I WANT TITLE

NACHO NOVO knows the end may be nigh. The little Spaniard has only 12 months remaining on his Rangers contract and a sick feeling at the pit of his stomach.

It's not the thought of moving on that makes him nauseous, even though he admits it will break his heart to leave a club which he describes as his "second family".

No, it's the thought of moving on after another season of failure which is enough to make him gag.

If this is indeed his last season as a Rangers player then Novo intends to go out with a bang.

"If, at the end of the season, the manager is not happy with me or I'm finished at Rangers then I'll have to move on," he says with the grimace of a man who has just slipped on to the crossbar of his bike.

"But I promise one thing - it won't be because I have not tried hard enough.

"I have promised myself I will leave through the front door. I will not leave this club by the back door.

"I want to be a winner. That is my mentality. It is not enough for me that I leave Rangers with only two medals from my time here."

Yet Novo knows hard work alone will not be enough.

This dimintuive 28-year-old is facing one almighty battle for a top-team place after the arrivlas of the likes of Jean-Claude Darcheville, Alan Gow, DaMarcus Beasley and Lee McCulloch, all of whom will be fighting it out for Novo's roles either in attack or on the flank.

Kilmarnock's Steven Naismith may yet add to the competition as manager Walter Smith puts his stamp on the bedraggled bunch he inhereted from Paul Le Guen. But Novo is up for the fight. He said: "Last year I worked really hard but that's the least I can do. I am paid to play football for Rangers - of course I should work hard.

"I had the support of the fans and that helped a lot but my confidence was not so high and I wasn't always at my best.

"Now a lot of new players have come in and I realise it's not going to be easy for me to play in the team.

"Maybe a few years ago I would get angry about that and find it difficult to accept but maybe I'm getting a little older and more experienced.

"I'm not saying I'll be happy if I'm not playing but I won't go into a bad mood about it. I'll just work harder.

"I just want to do the best I can for the team I love."

Novo has started just one of Rangers' three pre-season matches to date, a statistic which suggests he might be up against it already.

But he said: "I'm feeling good. The atmosphere among the boys is great and I'm happy to be be a part of it.

"It's a big change from last year. Walter knows what this club is all about and he is able to transmit that to the players.

"A lot of Scottish players have come in and many of them grew up as Rangers supporters.

"But then Walter has brought in players from America, France and Spain and they are all just as excited about playing for Rangers.

"The boys know we need to do something. We haven't won anything for two seasons and that is not acceptable. We realise it's time for us to do something big.

"Celtic have been doing really well and it will be difficult to beat them but we can't allow them to win three in a row.

"The gaffer has made it clear we lost too many stupid games last season, if it wasn't for that we would have been fighting for the title to the end of the season.

"It's very easy to look back and say that was because of Paul Le Guen but the truth is, it's not about managers or anything else. The players let Rangers down. There is no one else to blame.

"But this is a new era. We are working with a brilliant manager and good people who know what Rangers is all about. We have no excuses. We have to get it right."

Novo believes Smith's summer recruitment drive has Rangers in shape for a sustained title challenge.

Eight players have been enrolled including Novo's compatriot, Carlos Cuellar from Osasuna.

Novo said: "Carlos is a good player who will win the 50-50s and headers.

"But he has a lot of competition because Andy Webster is looking very good.Of course, then there is David Weir and Ugo Eghiogu so there is a lot of competition.

"It's the same for the strikers because people such as Lee McCulloch and Alan Gow have come in. Everyone knows they are fighting for splaces and that's what you must have at a club like this.

"Another guy who looks fantastic is Kevin Thomson. He will have a big future at this club. He's a fantastic guy to have around and I know he will be here for a long time to come."

But will Novo?

That grimace returns and he says: "I don't like thinking about contracts because we have more important things to concentrate on right now.

"Rangers are like a second family to me. I don't ever want to leave.

"This season could be a new start for me or it could be the end. But whatever happens, before I leave I want to win more trophies."

[The Lad 0]

he says with the grimace of a man who has just slipped on to the crossbar of his bike.

lol

[stevenage bear 5]

he says with the grimace of a man who has just slipped on to the crossbar of his bike.

lol

Painful child hood memories indeed

[J_RFC87 762]

Working hard is all very well, but he needs to start getting end results

[JR 1,480]

Working hard is all very well, but he needs to start getting end results

He's not the only one.

[Swagger 8,361]

He shouldn't be anywhere near the first team - yes he gives his all but it doesn't hide the fact that he is pish

[Davy 68]

He shouldn't be anywhere near the first team - yes he gives his all but it doesn't hide the fact that he is pish

Agreed.

Hopefully his contract isn't extended.

[Mike Newells Sexist Army 2]

He shouldn't be anywhere near the first team - yes he gives his all but it doesn't hide the fact that he is pish

I concur.

[maverick1200 2,880]

He shouldn't be anywhere near the first team - yes he gives his all but it doesn't hide the fact that he is pish

I concur.

i dont think he will be, i think he knows it will be his last season aswell. As you said he gives his all but he just isnt good enough.

[CanadianGer 1]

"But I promise one thing - it won't be because I have not tried hard enough.

"The gaffer has made it clear we lost too many stupid games last season, if it wasn't for that we would have been fighting for the title to the end of the season.

"It's very easy to look back and say that was because of Paul Le Guen but the truth is, it's not about managers or anything else. The players let Rangers down. There is no one else to blame."

These two comments sum up why I will still like Novo, no matter how weak his skill set may be. He's not the quality we need long term, but I hope that his attitude can still filter through to the rest of the squad. I remember us playing St Mirren last season just before the PLG departure and he and BF were the only guys who made any effort whatsoever. The rest were appalling. It is laziness and sloppy play that made us look so bad last year - no matter how bad the signings we should still have had the better of sides like ICT and St Mirren.

[Muff 245]

I love Novo's attitude, work rate and commitment. He knows what it is all about but he is just not good enough. A decent squad player.

[Stuart_RFC 41]

i agree he is not good enough for first team

But facts do speak for themselves, Novo has been a bargain , he has scored some major goals for us and in important games, he also has assisted his fair share of goals, and was one of the main factors that helicopter sunday became possible.

No denying it, whether we dont rate him much anymore, he has been a quality signing for the money we paid.

[Muff 245]

i agree he is not good enough for first team

But facts do speak for themselves, Novo has been a bargain , he has scored some major goals for us and in important games, he also has assisted his fair share of goals, and was one of the main factors that helicopter sunday became possible.

No denying it, whether we dont rate him much anymore, he has been a quality signing for the money we paid.

I agree with that

Maybe if all the players had the same heart, passion, desire and commitment as Novo has then we wouldnt of gone two seasons without a trophy!

[Coopermania 1]

wears his heart on his sleeve and gives his all. He has competition and probably wont get many games, but youve got to love his attitude and commitment. Personally, I hope he has a great season and proves his doubters wrong.

[Guest orangpendek]

who wrote the article? 'started only 1 of 3 which suggests he may be up against it.' this after walter smith told the media explicity the 1st 3 games were to give everyone a run out, and the next 3 to get the top team gelled.

[polar bear 0]

He shouldn't be anywhere near the first team - yes he gives his all but it doesn't hide the fact that he is pish

Agreed.

Hopefully his contract isn't extended.

I disagree,always thought and still do think that Nacho is a great wee guy to have on your bench.

[Bazza 21]

He has the heart of a man ten times his size.

There are players that should be out the door long before wee Nacho.

[Muff 245]

He has the heart of a man ten times his size.

There are players that should be out the door long before wee Nacho.

There certainly are

[polar bear 0]

He has the heart of a man ten times his size.

There are players that should be out the door long before wee Nacho.

Absolutely,and some of them are Scottish International strikers.

[CanadianGer 1]

i agree he is not good enough for first team

But facts do speak for themselves, Novo has been a bargain , he has scored some major goals for us and in important games, he also has assisted his fair share of goals, and was one of the main factors that helicopter sunday became possible.

No denying it, whether we dont rate him much anymore, he has been a quality signing for the money we paid.

I agree with that

Maybe if all the players had the same heart, passion, desire and commitment as Novo has then we wouldnt of gone two seasons without a trophy!

Absolutely right. You can't convince me that the players we had last year shouldn't have been beating the majority of the SPL without problem week after week. They might have been poor but the other clubs, lets be honest, are almost always woeful. The attitude (or lack of it) in our team is what cost us the most points.

[Albop 2]

only reason as u said hes pish is because hes been played outa position like so many other players eg lovenkrans

[Gowser 0]

I'd be disappointed to see wee Nacho leave. He has shown more desire and determination in many games and more understanding of our club than many of the Scottish players during his time at the club. Here's hoping he gets back to scoring plenty this season and gets a new contract.

[mark_ni 12]

He has pace and desire but hes not very talented. Hes a handy player to have in the squad though and i doubt hes on high wages so i wouldnt complain if we did give him another contract.

[Stuart_RFC 41]

how much would we give to see him score against the tims 1 last time

[Briton 394]

how much would we give to see him score against the tims 1 last time

£16.90p I suppose.

Seriously...he's a poke in the eye for some of the xenophobes in our support. People go on about having a Scottish identity and knowing what it means to play for Rangers blah blah blah but this guy proves it doesn't matter where you come from if you have the heart. He shames most with his effort.