Aiden McGeady revealed he left Celtic because he was sick of the abuse he got in Glasgow, reports the Scottish Sun. The Republic of Ireland winger sealed a £9.5million move to Russian cracks Spartak Moscow last week.
And he said: "I need a break from it. I've had my experiences of Glasgow and I need a change.
"Glasgow is a goldfish bowl and it's one of the things I'm glad to be getting away from.
"Neil Lennon said I might miss the adulation that Celtic players get, but I'm not so sure. I'll find out if that's true I suppose. There's always someone wanting to have a go at you.
"I got into a few fights in the past and wish I hadn't. I let my guard down a few times and it cost me.
"But some of the verbal abuse I had to take was really out of order. Because I'm a footballer people think they are entitled to say what they like and get away with it.
"I'm talking about grown men here. They would shout 'I hate you' or 'I'm gonna kill you wee man'.
"There was also a lot worse, but I'm not going to go into that. I'd try to walk away.
"People want to have an opinion on how footballers live, asking 'What's he doing in a nightclub?'.
"They think you shouldn't drink and should live like a monk.
"I'm entitled to a night out and a bit of fun. I'm a young man.
"With the benefit of hindsight I'd probably be more cautious now.
"At times I didn't help myself, but I became paranoid, very wary of people looking over at me.
"Yet some of them would come over and be brand new, wish me all the best.
"There were times I misjudged things, but the goldfish bowl does that to you.
"I just wish I'd been maturer, quicker." McGeady insists he will prove wrong the cynics who claim he has made a mistake by moving to Russia.
He added: "People do seem to like to be negative in Scotland.
"I know people are saying 'Oh I wouldn't go to Russia' and 'That's not a place to live and play football'.
"But Russian football is strong and it's very competitive.
"I'm not wanting to be disrespectful to the SPL, but it is inferior to the Russian League.
"I think going to Russia, to play for the biggest club in the country, will bring my game on.
"But people will want to see me fail. I need to prove them wrong, I'm very positive about it all."
McGeady revealed he finally grew tired on the SPL monotony.
He said: "It was about January time I made up my mind about wanting to leave.
"If Birmingham had a bid accepted I might have gone there.
"I needed a fresh challenge. Teams doubled up on me and it left me frustrated."
