Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has spoken out about his experience in the Glasgow derby, accepting that he didn't do the best on the pitch, but admitting that he has been blown away by the rivalry.
Speaking on All Out Football, he said: "I don’t know if we’ve played them! We’ve had a few scraps with them, but there wasn’t much soccer from us. It’s just different.
"I can’t explain exactly why, it’s just different. And I think I spoke to Robbo after the first game, and I didn’t have a good game; I came off at half-time.
"And I said to Robbo, that wasn’t pretty. He said: I told you, it’s not football, that game is not, it’s not pretty, it’s a war, and you find a way to win.
"Even off the pitch, in the tunnel, like the rivalry between staff and players. You’re either one or the other. There’s no sitting on the fence up there. You’re either Rangers or Celtic, and that’s it.
"I think just being back in the country and in this culture. Obviously, I went to Turkey for a couple of years, and it’s a different culture out there, the way that they see the game and just being in a dressing room with not many English or no English lads really, it’s different.
"So I think coming back into a good group of lads that are like-minded and share similar experiences, it’s really good. I’m lucky enough to be at another club that’s massive and is really competitive, and there’s pressure and expectation and all of those things. It’s just exciting, and it is a big, big club."
Still time for the midfielder
Although it hasn't been the best time in Glasgow for Ox, there is still time for him to prove his worth to the club. With a contract that expires in the summer, there is a good chance that he will leave, but he could still earn an extension should he start to kick on.
With the Hoops in a title race and needing victories over every team they face from now on, Martin O'Neill will likely utilise every player he has at his disposal. That means we could see Ox work his way back into the squad, possibly alongside the likes of Joel Mvuka.
Oxlade-Chamberlain's situation is admittedly much better than Mvuka's though, with the winger now failing to make the matchday squad repeatedly. Could there be a resurgence for both players? We're not sure, but we trust that there might be for Ox.