Celtic star ‘opens up’ on crowd frustrations as Rangers midfielder offers retirement update

Celtic are set for Scottish Cup action this weekend as they host St. Mirren in the fifth round. Meanwhile, Rangers will take on Partick thistle on Sunday afternoon.

The cup fixtures come weeks before the two Glasgow giants meet in the Scottish League Cup final at the end of the month. Ange Postecoglou’s side will be looking to win the competition for the seventh time in nine years, while Rangers haven’t lifted the trophy since beating Celtic 2-1 in 2011.

Ahead of this weekend’s round of cup matches, we take a look at the latest news headlines from Glasgow.

Matt O’Riley on Celtic crowd

Matt O’Riley has admitted the step up from MK Dons to Celtic was difficult, with expectations much higher at his new club. The midfielder joined Celtic last January and made an instant impact, continuing his impressive form into this season as he has picked up ten assists in the Scottish Premiership.

Despite success in his time with Celtic so far, O’Riley has revealed his struggles when he first joined the club due to the size of the crowd and their reactions to what occured on the pitch. The 22-year-old said: “When I started playing at Celtic and the fans were pretty much 60,000 every week, I wasn’t used to it.

“When you missed a pass you heard the whole crowd go, ‘Arrrggggh’. You can sense the anxiety. I can’t control the fans. But if I see it from the point of view of, ‘Matt, all you can do is play the game’, I’m usually better for it. That helps.”

O’Riley has recently fallen out of favour under Postecoglou, with Aaron Mooy, Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate running the midfield, however he will undoubtedly play a key part in the remainder of the campaign.

Steven Davis looks to the future

Rangers midfielder Steven Davis has admitted he doesn’t know whether he will play professional football again as he remains sidelined with a double anterior cruciate ligament tear. The 38-year-old has been out since just before Christmas and was facing at least six months in the treatment room.

Despite uncertainty over Davis’ future beyond his injury, he has refused to let it force him into retirement. Speaking to BBC Northern Ireland, the former Southampton star said: “I’ve got to be realistic, it’s a big injury and takes a lot of time to come back from.

“At my age and the stage I’m at in my career I know it’s going to be difficult but I’ve always been a very fit person so that should stand me in good stead and give me the best possible chance [of playing again]. I haven’t made any decisions about moving forward, I’ll just concentrate on ‘rehabbing’ to the best of my ability and stay focused. I don’t want this to be the defining moment that ends my career.”

Davis spent four years with Rangers early in his career before moving to the Premier League with Southampton, however he went onto return to Glasgow in 2019 and has made over 100 appearances since - helping them win the 2020-21 Scottish Premiership, whilst also being named the SFWA Footballer of the Year.

Despite Davis’ success at Ibrox Stadium, his football has become limited in recent seasons and he has only made eight league appearances this term.