Callum McGregor

BRENDAN Rodgers is in the running for the PFA Scotland Premiership Manager of the Year and it would be fair to say that everyone of a Celtic persuasion would cast their vote for the Irishman who has worked wonders this season.

At the head of the queue would be a raft of Celtic players whose performances have been enhanced this season and among them would be Callum McGregor.

Rodgers has added pizzazz to the side, not only by the acquisition of quality signings but also by bringing out the best in squad members he inherited when he arrived as manager last summer.

Among those is McGregor and he sensed something good was happening when it was announced that Brendan Rodgers would be taking up the reins in Paradise.

He said: “I was really excited when the news broke. I was speaking to my family and we thought it was a really good opportunity because he’s a big football man. I was looking forward to meeting him and working with him.”

The manager has shown faith in McGregor and the midfielder has repaid that belief, not least in his two goals in successive weeks against Rangers.

The 23-year-old said: “The last few weeks have been a good period for me as, building into the two Rangers games, I was playing well and gaining more and more confidence.

“The manager has instilled that confidence in me to go and express myself on the pitch. A few weeks ago he mentioned me to the press and that also gave me a really good lift going into the games.

“I was getting a run in the team and, again, it’s just that confidence in feeling more relaxed on the pitch and going and doing your stuff.

“He’s a man-manager and a coach. He’s a bit of everything and he’s been absolutely first-class since he came in. With us working with him every day, it just seems to be getting better every day.”

The player recalled this time last season when the Celts had been pipped for a place in the Scottish Cup final by their Ibrox counterparts, and hailed the turnaround in every aspect of the club since then.

He said: “It’s been a total contrast. That was a bad week for the club and to see how far we’ve come on from that is incredible with the feel-good factor around the place.

“We saw that with the kit launch and 3,000 people showing up to come and watch us model the new kit, so that's an incredible feel-good factor.”

The team will avoid complacency, though, still treating each and every game as a win they have to work for – starting with the visit of St Johnstone this afternoon.

McGregor said: “I feel that’s been one of our biggest strengths in that we’ve not been complacent at all really. We come in every day to a great working environment and everybody’s just striving to get better and better every day.

“The manager puts that on us and, ultimately, we want to give him that back and keep the whole thing moving.

“Everybody is fully focused on the job in hand over the next three or four weeks, so I’m sure when it comes we will be ready for it.”

 

Said it before, but if he was Icelandic we'd aw be raving about him and probably calling him the * Iceman.

If he was Spanish he'd probably just get called Iniesta or something.

 

Wit a * player.

 

Aye the people that don't rate him don't rate him because he's Scottish. Twaddle.

 

Quite a few people on here have spouted that pish on numerous occasions. Ridiculous logic.

 

Indeed.

 

I stand by it in McGregor's case. Not because of any bias towards Scottish players. Just because he's very far from what you expect a young Scottish central midfielder to play like and it * with peoples expectations.

If he was Spanish or something like that, it's the style you expect, so you're like fair enough, hunners of Spaniards are like that.

If that makes sense.

 

To think he was hated on here for a while

 

Yeah he doesn't play like you'd expect a Scottish player to play...but he isn't underrated because he's Scottish. Up until the last few weeks he's been very inconsistent. Fantastic one minute, lightweight and anonymous the next. However he has really stepped up his game of late and is full of confidence.

Everyone wants him to succeed. This "people would be raving about him if he was Spanish" just * me off.

 

If anything I would say it's the opposite. As fans we love nothing more than to see a young player come out of the youth team and be a star for the first team. Kieran Tierney is a prime example of that. Look at how excited people are about Ralston and Johnston after today's game.

Sometimes as a football fan you just don't take to a player. It rarely has anything to do with his nationality and it certainly has nothing to do with his nationality in the case of McGregor.

 

His miss in Germany was huge but he's been superb the last 3 games stepped up massive

 

No doubt mate but it's only been recently that * have noticed his style as well, at least in my experience. I think that's why Brendan came out and spelt it out for everycunt and went on a wee it's time to praise McGregor spiel.

 

I've always like the wee man..

Bags of ability and his directness from central midfield is so hard to deal with for defenders..

 

Aye, compare him to Crosas. Crosas was loved yet he was pish but he was Spanish and could pass a ball so people like him. If Crosas played as well as McGregor people would be worshipping him and rating him at £10million.

 

Thought Crosas was a decent player tbh

 

I thought he was pish, had no mobility, never scored or created goals, couldnt defend. Wouldnt get near lacing the boots of even Bitton.

 

Could dictate a game like * but.

Not made for a 442

 

Was ok at best for me. I think out those lighterweight not the best defensively good passing centre-mids weve had Ki was a lot better than Bitton who was better than Donati who was better than Crosas.

 

Donati lightweight? That's nuts mate.