Callum McGregor

The guy from Celtic fan TV gave him a 7 and O’Riley an 8

 

If we win this league then that mask becomes iconic.

 

Used to sometimes watch that but it's a bit pish, always a bit drab and not much insight. 7 out if 10 ffs...

 

When it comes to Callum McGregor’s belief in Ange Postecoglou’s ability to make things happen at a Celtic on its knees, the Australian only needed one. There was doom, gloom, and an extra helping of doom, surrounding the club when the 56-year-old pitched up at it from Japan last June. Celtic’s on-field rehabilitation, following the spectacular collapse in their 10-in-a-row chasing season, was being measured in years as the previous season’s squad was on its way to being reduced to a rump, and a fractured support was causing a rumpus over the failure to land Eddie Howe. As a result, in contrast Postecoglou’s probable length of tenure in Scotlandwas being measured in months. Yet the Celtic captain - accorded that honour by the new manager - is unabashed about the moment he knew the hugely experienced, single-minded coach could produce something special with his no-comprises, no-excuses, brand of attacking football.

“It was when we first met him,” said the 28-year-old. “You could see his ideas and you could see what he was trying to do. He always spoke about wanting us to play a certain style. He wouldn’t change, and we had to adapt and get to that level very quickly. You could see it in him straight away that he was desperate to do well and he had the credentials to do well. When you get your recruitment spot on as well then that helps, because you’ve then got good players that can come in and play that style of football.




From pretty early on in the season, maybe the Dundee game at home [in mid-August] where we scored six and played pretty well that day, you could start to see the cogs coming together. All the way through, even when we had little dips, you could still see that the structure was there and you could still see the idea was there. It’s been pretty positive right from day one.”


That positivity is brimming as the club have designs on a treble. Essentially, part two of that for the Premier Sports Cup winners could come move considerably closer at Ibrox on Sunday with the derby dust-up an opportunity to double their cinch Premiership lead to six points going into the final six league games. A 31-game unbeaten domestic run - which has set-up a Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers in little over a fortnight - has been underpinned by a forward-thinking approach, and intensity to their game, that makes them a sumptuous watch when everything clicks.



McGregor doesn’t flinch in laying out just how highly he rates Postecoglou’s incarnation of the Parkhead side. The midfielder, an integral member of Brendan Rodgers 2016-17 treble winners believes that, for pure entertainment, the current Celtic outstrips any other he has played in across eight years in the senior set-up.

“Watching us in the last couple of games, the level of football we’ve played has been very, very high and certainly right up there with some of the most attractive football that we’ve played. Certainly what I’ve played at this club as well,” said the Scotland international, with Postecoglou’s men hitting 10 goals across three comprehensive victories going into the international break.

“It just leaves us in a good place, and the beauty of it is that the manager is asking us if we can get even better, keep improving our football. He’s not going to let us rest on what we’ve achieved so far. We’re going to keep pushing and keep trying to get better. He says it all the time that every game is an opportunity to get even better and show even more, so that’s exactly what he’ll keep asking us.”

 

The latest international break brought its usual pause to domestic action, but the thoughts of Celtic fans didn’t drift too far away from the coming months' action.

Seven league games remain, as well as a semi-final in the Scottish Cup, as the Bhoys look to add to their League Cup triumph in December with further silverware.

The last block of games begins on Sunday with the Glasgow derby at Ibrox, and for Callum McGregor it’s these games and occasions he lives for.

Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV, the Celtic captain dipped into his wealth of experience to highlight the key ingredients needed to cook up the best chances of success in these derby matches and in a title run-in.




He said: “We know exactly the way we want to work and we’ve been doing it for nine months now in terms of the way the manager wants us to play.

“I think when you get to these big games it’s just important to stay calm and remember your principles of how you want to work and the way that the team functions.

“I’m under no illusions that come the game, everyone will be fully focused and we will carry out what the manager wants us to do and we will give everything together to get a result.

'That’s our task, to go there and win for the supporters and the club. It’s a massive game, but every game at this point is big.'

“I speak about it all the time but it’s about everyone being together and preparing properly and then, on the day, performing and trying to get maximum points.

“You want maximum points every time you pull on that jersey and that’s what this club and the support demands.

“If you get a good result on the weekend, you have to back that up with another one and you’ve got to keep doing that because we know it’s not a one-off game and we have to stay focused to win every game left.”




A small number of Celtic fans will be in attendance at Ibrox to try to push Ange Postecoglou’s side to victory.

It will be nothing like the partisan atmosphere the last time the sides met in that thrilling 3-0 victory at Celtic Park in February.

That win is part of an incredible 30-game unbeaten run in domestic competitions and the captain insists it’s no fluke the team have recorded that achievement.

“I think in terms of that night, the performance levels were outstanding from everyone involved, including supporters, players and management staff,” he said.

'We try and replicate that in every game and we don’t want to get carried away by the fixture or what it means.'

“We understand the size of the game and what it is in terms of the context of the season and we try and approach the game in the same way. The manager will be asking us to give our best performance in the next game and this is the next one.

“When that one is done he will be asking us to do the same, so when you get into that way of working everything becomes second nature and you give your best and produce your best football.

“Our supporters are always vital, we don’t underestimate the part that they play in the team and in the club to push us forward as one.

“When you go away, to have a small pocket of fans will be great for the team to look up and know they’re fully behind you, and then our job is to give a performance and give everything we can to get a positive result as well.

'It’s a big period coming up but one you live for as a footballer'

“Those things don’t just happen by accident. They come together by making good choices and having that direction from the manager telling us what he wants from the team.

“If everyone does that and gives to the collective, that’s how you build these runs and when you get the confidence of that run behind you it makes you feel better going into the next one."

 

Magnificent

 

Took the game by the scruff of the neck for the first goal and dominated them after.

Capo.

 

He's run for the first goal was sublime.

That's the mcgregor that should be playing a more attacking role

 

He’s one of the greats.

Just an all round phenomenal player.

 

That run when we were right under it..

My captain..

 

His run to help create our equaliser was clutch as *, and exactly what you want to see from your captain. The epitome of 'grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck'.

 

He's the type of player that you only really notice when he's not on the pitch.

Was very good today!

 

What a workhorse...was superb.

 

What a superb interview..

Summed it up well and could see how buzzing he was about winning at that dump as captain..

Really got him wrong when he took the armband in the summer..