Nicolas Raskin’s press conference ahead of Braga’s trip to Ibrox offered a candid window into a turbulent personal year – one that has taken him from isolation and uncertainty to renewed optimism under Danny Röhl after the axed was welded on the head of Russell Martin.
The first thing obvious is how deeply the new boss has impacted him.
“The gaffer’s been great,” Raskin said. “He’s given us confidence and brought simple clarity – a simple way to play forward and try to win games.”
Performances haven’t been flawless, he admits, but there is a sense of direction again: “We’re improving game by game.”
That stability matters, because Raskin hasn’t hidden how difficult his earlier months under Martin were.
Dropped from the squad and surrounded by what he describes as “wrong stuff” being written, the midfielder endured a period that affected him both physically and mentally.
“It was really difficult. I’ve not enjoyed every part of it,” he said, adding that at one stage he had “a clear indication” his future at the club was in doubt.
What kept him anchored was the people inside the building – and crucially, the supporters.
He said: “The fans were the biggest part of it. They were amazing with me.
“That support kept me calm and made me want to stay.”
That connection to the support shapes how he views the ongoing conversation around his contract. Eighteen months remain, but Raskin insists he’s in no rush to force anything.
“I’m very happy here. We’re trying to build something good.
“I’m taking it day by day and giving my best for the club.”
He also addressed speculation that he would let his deal run down, as critics suggested happened at his former club Standard Liège.
Raskin was keen to correct the narrative: “If I have to leave, I want everybody to be happy.
“I don’t want to leave for free. The club has given me a lot.”
For now, though, Raskin isn’t thinking about exits – only how to get fully back to himself, to repay the supporters who backed him, and to play his part in the rebuilding work under Röhl.
In his own words: “I’m working to get my form back and help the team as much as I can.”
With a FIFA World Cup on the horizon, Raskin knows that good form with both club and country will be his only guarantee of maintaining a place in his national team’s first XI – and that any talks on his future would need to wait until after that tournament.
