Newly-wed Vaclav Cerny’s hectic Rangers schedule means he’s not had the chance yet to whisk wife Denisa away abroad to celebrate their recent nuptials.
But that’s fine by the Czech ace as long as it gives him the chance to extend his Ibrox honeymoon period. Cerny got off to a rocky start in Scotland as he left the Gers faithful groaning with glaring misses against Malmo and Lyon just weeks after signing on loan from Wolfsburg. But his relationship with the Light Blues legions is firmly back on track now that the 27-year-old has rediscovered his top form.
Having tied the knot with Denisa – mum to their baby daughter Ella – he’s now been able to concentrate on tying defenders in ribbons. So far it’s reaping rewards, with the winger registering five goals and three assists in the seven games that have come since his horror sitter against Rangers’ French Europa League opponents in a sobering 4-1 loss.
And Cerny puts that down to contentment at home as he agreed with the old mantra that says a happy wife leads to a happy life. The winger said: “I got married right after the last international break.
“It’s just very important in this busy life that everything is OK at home. For my family, it’s been tough to move over to Scotland, which is obviously outside of the European Union.
“You get a lot of things to deal with but I’m just glad everything is done now and settled. I just want them to be OK and I know I’ll be OK. Has there been time for a honeymoon with my wife and daughter? Ha, I wish!
“No, but it’s planned. Hopefully, with summer break I’ll have some time to do that. Right now, I’m just focusing on football. I always enjoy my football when I’m fit and when I’m on the pitch. So, I do enjoy it and just want to be part of the success of this club, so that’s what’s driving me.
“I know that it’s not easy to adapt quickly to a new club, but I just did my best and hopefully we can say the adaptation part is behind us and let’s focus on upcoming games. Is there more of me to show the fans? I hope so. That’s what I’m working on, to be more dangerous, more effective.
“The numbers are OK right now for myself, but you will never hear me saying that I’m satisfied. Every day I can do something more or bring something extra, I will go for it.”
Cerny credits his family and his team-mates for helping him to overcome his troubled start in Scotland. “My life outside of football is very simple, it’s just being home with my family,” he said. “And that’s definitely the most important thing which got me through the tough two or three weeks.
“But on the other hand, you need to be mentally prepared for that because in football I think it’s one week you’re there, one week you can’t be there, so it’s on the edge. The people here in the club, all the guys, all the staff members, literally everyone gave me the support and I just got through it and I just want to keep this going.
“It depends on the person but [family] is what helps me and I’m just glad I had this experience but also very glad that I got through it. I think tough situations make you the person you are and how you react to them just shows your character and also shows the people you have around you. I have to say again, the club, family, in the end that’s all that matters.”
Cerny batted away questions about his Ibrox future, insisting it’s too soon to say if this budding partnership will be turned into a permanent marriage once his loan expires next summer. Of more pressing concern for boss Philippe Clement is avoiding a parting of the ways himself.
There is a sizable portion of the Gers fanbase who would happily file for divorce right now on the grounds of the unreasonable performance of a team struggling for spark and nine points adrift in the title race. But Cerny knows the best way to repair relations is to build on the three-game unbeaten streak Gers pieced together before the international break.
Speaking before today’s Dundee United showdown – the first of 10 games leading up to the January 2 Old Firm clash – he said: “There’s a busy schedule coming up but we’re making steps. We know what we want and we’re just looking forward.
“Every game is about good performance, good results. It is important obviously [to win in a convincing manner]. The goal we have is to be consistent, to be playing attractive football, to be playing dominant football and win games.
“We all know that it’s not always possible in football, so I think the three points are always the major aim.”
Cerny is just back from international duty with the Czech Republic, where he helped his side secure promotion back to the Nations League A division. He says he spent his week away telling his compatriots all about his time in Glasgow – and was just as happy to talk up Ibrox colleague John Souttar on his return.
The defender has been just as key for Scotland boss Steve Clarke as he has been for Clement lately, with Cerny saying: “For me, it’s nice to see him. He’s always ready to go, always taking care of his body, always there to talk about things to get things better.
“He’s very, very important for our squad and I just love to see that. I got a lot of questions [about Rangers while on international duty]. I can see that people are very interested in how it is inside Rangers.
“They want to know a lot about the rivalry and the club itself, because not everybody knows how big the club is. I enjoy talking about it every time someone asks me that. So, yeah, from now on I can tell them how big it is.”