Matt O’Riley reckons most people can’t even IMAGINE what it’s like to play for Celtic – let alone hack it under the Parkhead pressure.
And he made sure Brighton legend Glenn Murray knew it when he appeared on the club’s official podcast this week. O’Riley is off and running in the Premier League at last after an injury-hampered false start, and came off the bench to score the winner against Manchester City to sign off for the international break.
It was the first real return on his £25m transfer fee and he’ll be hoping for more moments like that now he’s finally motoring down south. His rise since joining Celtic from MK Dons for a bargain £1.5m almost three years ago has been startling and his two-and-a-half seasons at Parkhead certainly left their mark on O’Riley.
Speaking on the club’s regular podcast, hosted by broadcaster Paul Hayward and legendary frontman Murray, he was asked what it was like to play for Celtic and dominate Scottish football. And while the hosts might have expected an answer indicating the Premier League has been a step above, he said: “Respectfully, the pressures of playing at Celtic are for most people unimaginable. It is not easy to win every game of football regardless of who you are playing against.
“If you have 11 men behind the ball who are well-organised sometimes it is difficult to score. The longer the game goes on, the anxiety bulids up in the crowd. And you just need to learn to be able to accept that but also just somehow block it out and stay focused.
“To do that every single game is really tiring, you know – mentally and physically – to sustain it as well. Anyone who is able to play at Celtic for a long time, like James Forrest and Callum McGregor, to have that kind of relentless mentality .. it is genuinely tiring. I have so much respect for them to do it over and over again, 60 games a season.
“I was so aware that whatever I did on the pitch contributed to so many fans’ happiness. They are so mad up there. To the point that I know when they’re at their daily jobs they are having banter with their Rangers pals all week if the result isn’t good.
“I think for me as a player in terms of preparation to go somewhere else it is perfect just because the demand is so high. I really enjoyed the pressure of it, though, the responsibility of it. You really test your limits every single week, you’ve got to do it again and again and be better.
“If you don’t then they’ll let you know about it, the fans. It is only because they care so much. In that sense, that is why you don’t take it personally. They just care about their team doing well. “
And then it was the million dollar question…do you miss Celtic?
“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “I miss the people, I think the people are really friendly up there, I grew up down south in London so I know what the people are like but people up north are super friendly which is quite nice.”