Adam Matthews

It should be remembered that Lustig is only getting stick now because hes ageing, when he still had his mobility he was a very good player and has been great signing for us. Even if Matthews fulfilled his potential I dont think he would be anywhere near the player of Lustig in his prime (73 international caps for Sweden).

 

Matthews left us because he thought playing down south would help his international chances.

 

It’s hard to tell anyone to not go play in the more respected league for more money. However, if I was making what the average Celtic player makes i would stay in parkhead for as long as I was welcomed

 

Loved him, Great player for us. Had a great game v Messi.

Matthews after talking about his time at Celtic being the best time in his career.

Ferry: “You’ve not got a team the now, get back up the road”.

Matthews: “Id walk there mate”.

 

I liked him.

But the only reason he’d be back would be the old pals act.

 

Really thought he was going to have a great career after the Barca game. Pity injuries seemed to slow his progress.

 

Agreement with Adam Matthews in the first place!

 

signed for Lenny's Omonia Nicosia - still only 30 so should be a decent signing for Lenny who has already won the cypriot cup in his first season

 

What a career.

Injuries really * him over, and to think he's still only 33 now, never really did us wrong but *. Could have been a constant at RB all these years if not for injuries and that then allowing Lustig to really nail the spot for his own

 

Adam Matthews was once on the radar of Manchester United. But the Welsh right-back says joining Celtic was the best decision of his career.


Matthews was hot property after bursting onto the scene with boyhood club Cardiff City. Sir Alex Ferguson and several other Premier League managers had cast an eye on the rising star.



Yet it was Neil Lennon who stole a march by luring Matthews north of the border alongside ex-Bluebirds teammate Joe Ledley.


In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, Matthews recalled: "I think there were a couple of Premier League teams looking at me.


I’d broken into Cardiff at 17, had a really good first season. But obviously, Joe was going to Celtic the season before me. I was really close to him at Celtic



So he had a big sway in convincing me to come. Not that I needed much convincing. But he said, 'You'll love it up here and you don't realise how big the club is until you come.' I think I made the right decision, to be fair."

If Matthews had any doubt at all, his mind was made up when he realised the lengths Lennon went to sign him.

He said: "Neil and Garry Parker came down to a game against Leicester. I didn't even start the game.



I came on for 20 minutes, but they stayed for the whole game. And then they met me and my dad in the car park afterwards and said, 'Look, we really like you. What do you think about coming up here? We spoke to Joe about you and he thinks you'll settle in really well.'

"So that was quite early on in the season. I signed a pre-contract in January, I think it was.

"For the manager to come down all the way from Scotland to watch you in a game you're not even starting and then take the time to stay and speak to you after the game, it shows how much they wanted me."


Perhaps viewed as one for the future, there was a perception that Matthews would take time to find his feet in Glasgow, with Mark Wilson and Cha Du-Ri already vying for the same position.

It didn't turn out that way as the young defender quickly established himself as a regular starter.



Still, it was a turbulent beginning to life at his new club. As Celtic trailed Kilmarnock 3-0 at half-time at Rugby Park in October 2011, the man who signed him had 45 minutes to save his job.

Matthews vividly remembers: "We didn't start that season well at all. We were 15 points behind Rangers at that time.

"And if we lost that game, I think Lennon would have walked. We were 3-0 down and his team talk at half-time... he wasn't even shouting. He was just like, 'Boys, if this is the way you want to go out, then carry on. But this isn't Celtic. This isn't my team.'


Luckily for us, we turned it around. Even though it was just a draw from being 3-0 down, from that point in the season, we went on a massive run and won the league comfortably in the end."

It's funny how football works, as six months later, Celts were crowned champions at the same venue.

More than 12,000 travelling supporters crammed into Rugby Park for a title party and it was a day that Matthews will never forget



It was a mad atmosphere," he said. "You'd never expect to have three stands full of your fans at an away game. The game couldn't have gone much better. We won 6-0. The fans were partying the whole game. And I think that showed on the pitch.

"We probably played our best game that day. The pressure was off and we scored some good goals. It was a great day. It was my first trophy in professional football. So that's obviously a special one as well."

If Matthews had goosebumps at the decibel levels in Ayrshire, he'd be blown away by the deafening noise the following season as Celtic stunned Barcelona on the night of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations


He said: "There was something in the air and we could all feel it. I remember sitting in the changing room before the game, just before we went out, and you could hear the fans singing You'll Never Walk Alone, which I've never experienced before.

"Then, walking out with all the fan displays. I've watched the game back a couple of times, even the Barcelona players, who played in massive games, you could see them looking around as well.


I wouldn't say they were spooked, but it's the best atmosphere I've ever played in. It was a special, special night. That's probably the best club team, if not in the top three, ever. As a footballer, you want to play against the best players in the world.

"You never think you're going to get the opportunity to do it. To do it on that night, in that atmosphere, and to get the win, even just be on the same pitch as them, you pinch yourself."

Celtic would eventually head in a different direction as Ronny Deila replaced Lennon at the helm in 2014. The Norwegian's strict diet regime has been well documented but Matthews enjoyed his methods on the training pitch.



He said: "It was a different transition, a different culture. He was a very good coach, but his diet was a bit weird.

"I remember he used to say, eat a chunk of butter or cheese and cream for pre-match, which I don't know if they do it in Scandinavian countries, but it's not what we're used to. So a lot of players weren't happy with that.

"But he was a very good coach and he did well at Celtic. I enjoyed playing for him. It was just different to what I'm used to, being with Lennon for my first three seasons. It was a big change for everyone.


While Celtic have won Trebles for fun in recent years, Deila's side were robbed of a shot at a clean sweep in a controversial Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Inverness.

A blatant handball by Josh Meekings to stop Leigh Griffiths' goalbound header was somehow missed by officials just yards away as Celts crashed to a shock 3-2 loss at Hampden


Having lifted six major honours at Parkhead, a domestic full house was the one that got away for Matthews.

He said: "Yeah, it is a regret. I won a lot at Celtic, but to win a Treble as a footballer would have been special. It didn't happen. I won plenty, so I can't be too unhappy. But if I could have won one, it would have been very special for me."

After four seasons in Glasgow, Celtic decided to cash in on Matthews as he entered the final year of his contract in 2015.




But the 33-year-old explained: "I didn't particularly want to leave, to be honest. I wasn't the number one choice. I think Ronny preferred [Mikael] Lustig, which is fair enough. Lustig's a brilliant player and he's done really well for Celtic. So, it's not that I wanted to leave.

"Obviously, Sunderland came in and it was a new challenge in the Premier League. So, it seemed like the right time to move, even though I wasn't looking to move.

"It happened quite quickly, to be honest. I went home one day, fell asleep on the sofa, woke up, and had missed calls with my agent saying Celtic have accepted a bid





And I was straight down there. So, it happened quite quickly. I didn't have much time to think about it. But it's not like I wanted to leave Celtic. I loved my time there. So, it was a little bit bittersweet, really. I wasn't buzzing to go, you know what I mean?

"I spoke to Ronny a couple of days before Sunderland came in and he said they were expecting an offer to come in. I told him then I wasn't looking to leave. We were half discussing the new contract with Celtic, which didn't materialise."


Matthews admits he would have jumped at the chance to rejoin his former club had returning boss Lennon followed up his initial interest in 2019.

He revealed: "There was talk of it when Lennon went back. I spoke to him a couple of times about it and nothing materialised from it, really.

"But I would have loved to have the opportunity to go back, but it didn't happen. I've been up a couple of times to watch some games and watch them every time they're on TV. So, I'm a fan now. So, that's better than being nothing


After stints with Sunderland, Bristol City, Charlton Athletic and even a reunion with Lenny in Cyprus at Omonia, Matthews is now winding down his career with Shamrock Rovers.

He said: "Yeah, it's good. It's different. The league's a bit different over here. They start from February until November, so that's going to be a bit of a change. But I've settled in really well. There's a good bunch of boys and it's going really well."

After linking up with the League of Ireland side in January, Matthews just missed out on playing with Celtic youngster Johnny Kenny, who enjoyed a prolific loan stint in Dublin.



Matthews added: "He's done really well this season for Celtic when he's played. I spoke to a couple of the boys about him and they were like, 'How do you think he'll do at Celtic?'

"He showed in Europe last year what he can do. Obviously, it's going to be tough at Celtic, especially with the strikers that they've got.

"But he's just got to be patient and wait for his chance. And like he has done when he gets his chance to do his best and hopefully score a couple of goals.


As for Matthews, how does he sum up his own career at Celtic Park?

"The best moments of my career have definitely come at Celtic", he said. "The group of boys, we all got on well. The fans.. it's just a different club. You don't realise unless you either support the team or play for the team, you don't realise how special that club is. I loved every minute of it."