‘C’est la vie’ says Sebo, but Ibrox is on his mind

Filip Sebo could have been facing Olympique Lyonnais on Champions League rather than Ligue 1 duty this season had his cult hero status at Rangers been based on an ability to find the net rather than a surname that lent itself perfectly to terracing chanting.

Sebo – or Seeeeeeebooooooo as it became whenever he emerged from the dug-out to warm up – had been pursued relentlessly by Paul Le Guen in the summer of 2006 before Austria Vienna finally let him leave for £1.8m.

It is an investment of time, effort and finance that is yet to be adequately repaid and, after just two goals in his debut campaign in Scottish football, the Slovak is currently stationed in France on a season-long loan at Valenciennes.

As Rangers struggled under Le Guen, Sebo, by his own admission, fell into a downward cycle. A lack of goals – and starting appearances – affected his self-belief which in turn hampered his ability to perform whenever he was summoned from the bench.

His all-action style – like Popeye after a spinach fix – negated questions surrounding his commitment to the Rangers cause, but did little to silence those who queried whether he possessed the technical finesse and ability to operate effectively in the Scottish Premier League.

Valenciennes´ request to take the 23 year-old to France for a year put those questions on hold – temporarily at least – although the player has not yet ruled out a return to Ibrox once his loan deal expires in the summer.

Given the travails he encountered during that debut season, Sebo could be forgiven for wishing to never return to these parts again, a feeling that is probably mutual for many Rangers supporters, but he remains philosophical about his turbulent introduction to Scottish football.

He told the Herald: “I´ve never regretted anything in my life. Sure, it was a difficult time in Scotland – for me and for the team as a whole – but that is football.

“Things can change so quickly. Before I came to Rangers I had been a two-times league champion, I won the cup and was the top goalscorer in Slovakia one season. In football there are good and bad times. You just have to accept it and live with it. What I would say is that the most important thing for any player is confidence and I didn´t have much of that.

“As a result the goals never came for me; I think that is understandable. I tried to make the most of every opportunity given to me by Le Guen and Walter Smith and have no ill-feeling towards Rangers at all.

“I am a good person with a good heart and so I wish them all the best going forward. Will I go back next year? You never know. But I don´t tend to look too far ahead in football. I´m only really interested in what´s happening just now.”

Despite his lack of goals, a large section of the Rangers support continued to display an inordinate sense of goodwill towards the player throughout the season.

Sebo offers an explanation. “They saw and understood that I always tried my best and gave everything in every match. The fans are not stupid. They understand football and you know you can´t cheat them. On the whole I had a great relationship with the Rangers supporters.”

In August the offer arrived for Sebo to continue his career in the north of France and, weighing up his options following the signings of Jean-Claude Darcheville and Daniel Cousin, he decided to accept it.

He has started more league games in four months than he managed during an entire season in Scotland, although he has been no more prolific in front of goal as a result, notching just three times.

He assesses his season so far: “I got the offer from France and decided to come here. It was my decision, no-one else´s, for me to come to Valenciennes. I asked Paul Le Guen for some advice about the club and he was very helpful and wished me all the best. I have to say, though, that this is a very tough league to play in, perhaps the most difficult in the whole of Europe.

“It is a very technical style of football, very fast and every opponent is very strong. But I am happy here and at least it rains less than in Glasgow. I don´t know if anyone from Rangers has been following my progress but I am still in contact with a few people in Scotland and try to watch their games whenever I can.”

Sebo will be tuning in tomorrow night when Lyon travel to Ibrox to face Rangers in the concluding match of Champions League Group E.

Smith´s side need a draw to progress to the last 16 but Sebo, who played for 90 minutes in a 2-0 defeat to the French champions last month, believes that Rangers will have their work cut out.

“I think that Lyon are one of the best teams in Europe just now, and certainly the best team in France,”

he added. “They had a bit of a slow start but they are back on top now and looking good to defend their title again.

“They have several great individuals and everyone that plays can be a potential match-winner. People say they are weaker this season than last because they lost so many big players but I don´t agree.

“They have a very big squad with some excellent players so I think they have adequately replaced the ones that have left. Juninho is the one Rangers must look out for. Every goalkeeper in the league has problems keeping out his free kicks. We Valenciennes played well against Lyon last month but ended up losing 2-0. I had three good chances to score but had no luck on the day.”

Sebo admitted the French public were shocked by Rangers´ 3-0 victory in Stade Gerland earlier in the campaign but he expects a much closer tie at Ibrox this time around.

“It was a huge surprise in France when Rangers won so easily the last time,” he said. “Lyon, of course, are a massive team but Rangers have some real qualities, too. It is hard to say how tomorrow night will go and in the Champions League each team can beat any other. But I will keep my fingers crossed that Rangers do it.”

theherald.co.uk