Latest news with #AdamMatthews
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Celtic were the same' – Adam Matthews compares Shamrock Rovers expectations to Scottish Premiership giants
ADAM MATTHEWS reckons his four years at Celtic were the perfect prep for life at Shamrock Rovers. And 2 Adam Matthews believes Celtic helped prepare him for Shamrock Rovers Credit: Sportsfile - Subscription 2 Adam Matthews spent four years in Glasgow Credit: PA:Press Association In After subsequently playing for And ahead of tonight's game with Matthews said: 'Celtic's a massive, massive team, but you get the same feeling with the fans. You are expected to win every game. Read More on Shamrock Rovers 'Obviously, you can't, even 'We go into every game hoping to, well, thinking we can win. Celtic were the same.' The Hoops have made good on their belief lately, winning their last five games to go six points clear at the top of the table. Matthews — who played with Rovers director of football Stephen McPhail at Most read in Sport A knee gash suffered on his debut against Bohemians was not the only reason he had been used more sparingly. Boss Bradley said: 'We had to be careful and had to be slow with him because he'd come in late and he had been inactive for a few months. It was never going to be that he was ready from the start. Shamrock Rovers snap up Northern Ireland Under-21s goal-getter as Stephen Bradley gives exciting verdict 'I spoke to a few of his managers previously and they all raved about him on and off the pitch. I had a good conversation with Neil Lennon about him, he had him in Celtic and in Cyprus and couldn't speak highly enough of him. We'd done our homework with Stephen but then when you hear that from someone like Neil, it was a no-brainer. 'You can see his versatility, what he's brought to us in terms of he started left wing-back up in 'He's played recently like a right wing-back. His quality was never in doubt, obviously with the level he's played at, but he's been brilliant around the group too.' After parting company with Omonia, who he helped win the Cypriot Cup in 2023, Matthews was back in Wales and training with Carmarthen Town before Rovers offered him a route back into full-time football. He said: 'It does happen in football. The older you get, the more you expect that to happen. It was tough but I just needed to keep myself fit and wait for the opportunity, and thankfully Stephen gave me a ring. 'I was training with a team in Bar speaking to former Celtic team-mate Paddy McCourt and ex-Sunderland colleague work . And he is reasonably impressed with Rovers and the League itself. He said: 'You've got a good manager, good tactically, so it's very similar to a lot of the clubs that I've been at to be honest. Obviously the facilities in some of the clubs are a bit better, but at the bigger clubs, you're going to get that. 'Training-wise, I think it's very similar. It's a very competitive league. I think you can see by the league table that anyone can beat anyone. 'But we're on a good run at the minute, created a bit of a gap. Our aim is to try and keep winning games and make the gap bigger.'
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
What Celtic squad really thought of Rangers meltdown in 2012 and one-horse league race
The Glasgow rivals went almost three years without playing one another after Gers plunged into financial ruin Adam Matthews admits no Celtic player wanted to see Rangers tumble out of the top-flight in 2012. Gers' financial collapse and subsequent liquidation 13 years ago forced them to start again at the foot of Scottish football. Hoops diehards rejoiced at their bitter rivals' demise but that sentiment wasn't shared inside the Parkhead dressing room. The Glasgow giants were separated for three years before eventually clashing in a League Cup semi-final at Hampden. In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, former Celtic defender Matthews shed light on the mood of the camp at the time by revealing: "I think if you ask anyone, honestly, no one wanted it. "You might speak to some Celtic fans and, yes, they'd be buzzing that Rangers are struggling. "But I don't think it was good for the league or for Scottish football. And I think if you ask any Celtic player, even the most diehard Celtic fan, if they're being honest, they'd rather Rangers in the league because it's a massive game. "It's the one you look forward to the most in the calendar. So, yeah, it was a big miss for us. But at the end of the day, we just had to do our job and we won that league comfortably. But I think the league's better when Rangers and Celtic are in it, just for the Old Firms." Celtic accumulated just 79 points in their first title-winning season without Rangers - the lowest tally for a Scottish champion since the split was introduced in 2000-01. Matthews - now at Shamrock Rovers - confessed Neil Lennon's side put all their eggs in the Champions League basket after motoring into the last 16. Asked if Celts felt they could take their foot off the accelerator and still cruise to the league crown, Matthews said: "Yeah, you'd like to say no, but that probably is in the back of your mind. "There are some other tough games in Scotland. But, like I said, Celtic vs Rangers is the main one. Even when it's Rangers, we played them in the cup a couple of times and just the atmosphere is what you want to play in front of. "So, I don't think we knew we could put our foot off the gas. I think, obviously, doing so well in the Champions League probably affected the league form. "But we weren't happy with that league season, even though we won it. We knew we could have done better. It's just one of those things. We won the league, but at the end of the day, we weren't happy." Whether punters accept it or not, the reality is that football's biggest derby is a unique selling point for both clubs in attracting new signings. Matthews - who won six major honours between 2011 and 2015 at Parkhead - said: "Yeah, obviously that's a massive pull. "I think even if you're just a football fan, nothing to do with Celtic or Rangers, it's one of the games you watch when it's on telly. "You can tell the atmosphere how good it is just from watching it on telly. And you want to play in the big games when you want to become a footballer. "I don't think they get much bigger than Celtic vs Rangers, really. People down south might not realise how big or how much they dislike each other. But yeah, they're mad games. I think I played in four or five and I won three, so not too bad. "The first one was on the bench at Ibrox. We lost 4-2. But even the Celtic fans at Ibrox, when we used to have all behind the goal, I just couldn't wait to get on the pitch." Although Rangers' implosion robbed Matthews of experiencing more derbies, the Welsh right-back considers himself fortunate to have played in an era when there were 7,000 fans in the away end. Asked which stadium he preferred, Matthews added: "I'd say Celtic Park, obviously. If you win the game or you win in the game, the place is absolutely bouncing. "But I think when we play at Ibrox and Celtic used to have all behind the goal, and if you win there, that's some atmosphere there. "Obviously, I think it's ruined a bit now with the amount of fans allowed in the stadium. I think they probably need to go back to that. "I don't know if it will happen. I think it's better for Scottish football and for the Old Firm. Because if you win at Ibrox with the fans all behind the goal, it's a mad atmosphere." Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
RTÉ News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Something for the Weekend: Adam Matthews' cultural picks
Adam Matthews is the vocalist with rising Dublin pop electro duo Phoeno, who have just released their latest single, Safety. The band's name comes from Dublin's iconic Phoenix Park. Adam and long-term musical collaborators Liam Corbett took to taking long runs together during the many Covid lockdowns - on these epic treks, they'd talk sounds, lyrics, themes... and thus Phoeno was born. We asked Adam for his choice cultural picks... FILM A recent film that blew me away and also stuck with me was Smile 2 (I also love the first one ) – but this film had everything, The director's choices have such a presence throughout the film – the set pieces are amazing and the film is carried expertly by Naomi Scott. The film follows an uber famous pop star, Skye Riley, so not only do we get the horror aspect of her being tormented by this freaky entity, we also get proper moments of original music - some staged for concert and also raw acoustic piano moments. They also released an EP on streamers to accompany the film! MUSIC I still have a CD player in my car so I make a habit of buying old albums in charity shops (when I say old I mean from the 2000's – albums I loved when they came out). The current album on rotation in my car is Feeder's Pushing the Senses – the production is so great and the lyrics never stop hitting me. Standout moment is Morning Life. More recently, Nerina Pallot's A Psalm for Emily Salvi is an ear feast. BOOK I won't even lie here – I love slasher movies and in a bid to beat the film adaptation release next week, I'm currently reading Clown in a Cornfield – fun and summery vibes! I can confirm the book delivers on its title, there is in fact a killer clown in a cornfield. THEATRE Thisispopbaby's variety extravaganza RIOT is back in Vicar Street this July (17th – 20th) - I am in this show with many stunning performers and a very good time is guaranteed! Tixckets are on sale as we speak! TV Dying for Sex on Hulu/ Disney Plus - I just finished watching this. It's a one season series and I have no idea why I don't hear people talking about it – you get some of the best acting from leads Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate, the directing is exquisite and the cinematography is gorgeous. You can really feel its authentic New York setting. GIG Phoeno are headlining The Workman's Cellar in Dublin on the 25th of this month – the only gig you need to hear about! ART I'm kinda fanatical about instant photography – I love taking photographs and love polaroid portraits, so I try to follow as many instant photographers as possible on Instagram. I'm learning how other people are working with polaroid and instax. PODCAST The Louis Theroux Podcast never fails to deliver and never disappoints - I loved listening to his recent chat with the always iconic Sharon Horgan. TECH A digital camera called Flashback – I supported it on Kickstarter. It basically works like a disposable camera; you unload your 'roll' of film to the app on your phone and after 24 hours you get an alert to say your roll of film is ready to view. The photos looks incredibly similar to the ones a real 35mm camera would give you. THE NEXT BIG THING... We're in a golden age for Irish music and Irish art. Our culture is the next big thing, and we want Phoeno to be front and centre in that cultural wave.
