Dan Neil has joined Rangers from Sunderland, having helped Ipswich Town secure their return to the Premier League. The move represents his second consecutive Championship promotion, after captaining Sunderland the previous season, and he chose the Scottish Premiership despite having offers to remain in England.
Roberts reveals pre-transfer chat
Patrick Roberts, now at Birmingham City, spent two-and-a-half years at Celtic after joining on loan from Manchester City in 2016, winning three titles and back-to-back Trebles. He told The Scotsman that he had spoken to Neil before the move and warned him about the demands of playing in Glasgow.
He said: "I had this conversation not long ago when Dan Neil called me.
"He wanted my opinion the Scottish league, and the city, because it was a similar situation to when I went. I had it very easy. I told him ‘you have to win games’, then you get the luxury of going out, and you get more confidence and more belief."
Unbeaten season gave Celtic fans the edge
Roberts explained that his own experience at Celtic was overwhelmingly positive, with the team going an entire league season without defeat. He said that left Rangers supporters with little to say.
"It can make you feel like you’re an absolute superstar when you’re performing well [at Celtic]. But when you’re on the other end...I didn’t get it a lot, and the Celtic players didn’t get it a lot," he said.
"We didn’t lose a game in that whole season. Rangers fans couldn’t really say anything to you because they had nothing to back it up."
He also recalled Martyn Waghorn, a former Rangers player he later played alongside at Derby, as someone who found the environment difficult. "But I can see it would be tough if you’re on the other side. I played with Waggy [Martyn Waghorn] at Derby, and it was quite tough for him, and quite a few of the Rangers players," Roberts said.
"It’s part and parcel of the game, and it’s not nice to see because you’d hate it if it was you, but at the same time, it is how fans are."
Life in football-mad Glasgow
Roberts described Glasgow as a place where football is treated with extreme seriousness. "Especially in Glasgow. It’s all about football, it is life or death up there. I was on the good side of it, and I used to enjoy going out in the city," he said.
"Everyone I met was either a Celtic fan, or a Rangers fan who didn’t bother to say anything."
He acknowledged that the attention could be intrusive but said he enjoyed it as a young player. "It didn’t bother me. If I went out you’d be asked for photos, and sometimes you just wanted to go to the cinema or go shopping!" he said.
"But I quite enjoyed it, I was young and you enjoy that feeling of being liked by fans. It is tough up there. It was bad for the other side then, but thankfully not for us."
