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Nacho Novo: The Wee Amigoal

disgruntled_bear

By disgruntled_bear
in Jimmy Bell's Kitroom

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disgruntled_bear

disgruntled_bear 157

Posted
Posted
Jan 29 2009 Mark Hateley

The Co-Operative Insurance Cup Aftermath... Nacho's Hampden Double Proves He's The Striker Smith Can't Afford To Ignore

COMETH the hour, cometh the man. And for Walter Smith and Rangers that man is Nacho Novo.

OK, hands up, I admit it, I'm the little Spaniard's No.1 fan - have been ever since I worked with him during a short spell coaching the strikers at Dundee.

I have been banging on about him to anyone who would listen and have taken genuine delight in seeing him moving on with his career to become such a massive favourite at Ibrox.

And yet it seems that every season the wee man has to prove himself to the same old doubters over and over again.

This campaign has been incredibly frustrating for Novo who has been left to watch most of it from the sidelines. As usual, whenever things have not been going well he's been thrown on from the bench for the last 15 minutes and asked to turn it around.

But starting places have become harder and harder for him to come by.

Which is why I was thrilled for him the other night when he came in from the cold at Hampden to score two goals against Falkirk and book his team a place in the Final of the Co-operative Insurance Cup. The first thing I did was text him to say well done.

It's been a long wait but I truly believe Nacho's moment may have finally arrived - and just in the nick of time for a Rangers team that is beginning to wobble at a crucial stage in a vital season.

His two goals in the semi takes his tally for the season to seven, which is quite remarkable given he's started only eight games. That's the kind of ratio Kris Boyd prides himself on and it will give Walter Smith something to think about as he gears up for the Final four months of the campaign.

I've always said if Novo was given a regular run as a centre-forward he'd bag at least 20 goals every season.

In fact, he proved that himself by hitting 20 plus in two seasons as a striker at Dundee and then again in his first season at Ibrox when he scored 25 as a partner to Dado Prso. And let's not forget - that was the last time Rangers won the SPL.

Since then he has fought a seemingly never-ending battle to prove he is worth a starting place, under Alex McLeish, Paul Le Guen and now Walter. In the end, each manager comes to the same conclusion - they cannot do without him.

Of course, he can be a frustrating player at times which is why he probably ends up in this position season after season. He's not the greatest finisher in the world but heis a prolific creator of chances - both for himself and his team-mates. And he's also the biggest pain in the ass possible for a defender to play against because his pace and movement are phenomenal.

The contrast between his style and that of Boyd is stark. Boyd isn't interested in dragging defenders about or running the channels. He's only there to score goals.

Novo, though, will run all day for his team but lacks Boyd's killer instincts in front of goal.

The question is can this pair make a partnership capable of winning the title for Rangers and the evidence from Hampden the other night suggests strongly that,yes,they can.

Kenny Miller and Boyd had the makings of a terrific front two earlier in the campaign but they've struggled together in recent weeks. Kenny has gone off the boil and he's one of those players who suffers badly when his confidence is down, which it has been of late. Often, the more you play a guy like that when he's lacking in belief the worse the situation becomes.

Walter might just think the time is right to take the pressure of Kenny for a while and allow Nacho to pick up the baton for the time being. That challenge might also fire Kenny up and make him raise his game which is exactly what Rangers need as they head into the defining part of this season's battle for domestic domination.

John Fleck and Steven Naismith have also fought their way into contention which means Walter now has four different options as possible partners for Boyd.

Right now, Novo must be in pole position as Fleck is just a kid and will come in and out of the team between now and the end of the season, while Naismith is coming back from a serious injury and will need a run of games to get back to his best.

To put it simply, Rangers don't have the luxury of being able to give Naismith the time he needs. They need someone to come in and hit the ground running - as Nacho did the other night.

If Miller needs a break then Novo is his ready-made replacement. In fact, I would argue Nacho gives the team everything Miller does PLUS goals.

Miller won't be happy about a spell on the sidelines but it's time for this current Rangers side to face some facts. Unless you are a world beater you have no divine right to stay in the team. And I haven't seen any world beaters in Govan for a while. Maybe most importantly of all, Rangers are a better team when Novo plays because of his urgency and desire.

That mentality was missing at Pittodrie for most of Saturday's 0-0 bore and it was only when Nacho came on that Rangers began to look lively, dangerous and in a hurry to turn a draw into a victory.

Novo has that ability to lift not only his team-mates but also the Rangers supporters.

He is capable of injecting his enthusiasm directly into 50,000 fans which is a talent in itself.

It seems there is a tipping point in every season when Rangers realise they can't do without this little man and his huge heart.

If that moment arrived on Tuesday night then Rangers will be all the better for it.

'It seems there's a tipping point in every season when Rangers realise they can't do without this little man and his huge heart'

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The Hammer 11

The Hammer 11 2,595

Posted
Posted
Have to agree ... out of the current squad, he'd be partnering Boyd up front for me. If we're going 4-5-1 I'd give him the right wing spot.

when we played the other night it seemed to turn into a 4-3-3 when we attacked with naismith on the lest boyd in the middle and novo on the right and it worked

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