Callum McGregor

Captain, my captain

 

This has been a long and hard league campaign, with plenty of challenges along the way, but to celebrate Trophy Day at Celtic Park makes it all worthwhile.

To become the Scottish Champions is what we set out to do at the beginning of the season, and to be able to lift the league trophy inside this stadium packed with our own supporters is really special.

I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed a few of these occasions over the years, and each one is memorable in its own right.

For the lads who are experiencing this for the first time, it’s a great reminder of just how big Celtic is and the demands of this club, which is to be successful. We have an incredible history at this club, and each of us here wants to keep adding to that.

Our success has been built on a strong team bond, with everyone playing their part, and led by the manager, along with an excellent staff, and so every single member of the squad deserves enormous credit for this achievement.

Of course, our season doesn’t end now because we still have the Scottish Cup final to look forward to next weekend.

As I said, this club is built on success and on a determination to keep striving for more. That’s what we’re determined to do, and we now have the opportunity to lift another trophy at Hampden.

We know it will be a tough task, but it’s one that we relish, and our aim is to ensure another unforgettable afternoon at the National Stadium.

That can only happen with your support. The manager has spoken about the importance of togetherness between the team and the fans, and when that is the case, special things can be achieved.

Together, we have already ensured that we are the Champions of Scotland and, together, we can hopefully put green and white ribbons on another trophy next Saturday.

Before then, there is also an opportunity for another Celtic league success, with the Women’s team having the chance on Sunday to secure the title and also create history in the process, given that this would be the club’s first ever league triumph.

It is great that they have the chance to do that here at Celtic Park, which has witnessed so many special and historic moments over the years, and everyone is hoping that Kelly and her team-mates can get the result which makes them Scottish Champions as well.

It would be a brilliant achievement and something special if both our men’s and women’s teams can win the league this season, and knowing how important our fans are to us, I hope that as many of you as possible get along to Celtic Park to cheer on the Ghirls as they look to beat Hibs and make history.

On behalf of our squad, I want to thank you for all your support throughout this campaign. It is so important to all of the players here and it’s something that we really appreciate.

I’ve said many times before that our fans are one of our biggest strengths, and we’re all looking forward to more special moments in the weeks, months and years ahead

 

Cannot wait for this boys time to come as manager, think he will be exceptional.

 

Callum McGregor has admitted a fear of failure will drive Celtic towards a League and Scottish Cup double at Hampden.

The Parkhead skipper will lead his side out into battle against Old Firm rivals Rangers on Saturday afternoon looking to bring the curtain down on another championship winning season with one last high at Hampden Park. And McGregor – who has collected 21 trophies over his 10 years at the club – insists it’s the fear of missing out which keeps Celtic coming back for more




He said: “Yeah, absolutely. I always go back to the ones that I missed - and those are the ones that stick with you longer than the ones you have won. So, yeah, for sure when you get into that mode, the one that you lose hurts more and you remember them more than the ones that you win. You try to limit the amount of times that you feel like that throughout your career and when those moments come, you prepare yourself for how it feels. When you get out of bed that morning you think, ‘Next time I go to bed I want to be a winner again’. That’s the way I approach these things.”



McGregor lifted the league crown last weekend as Celtic wrapped up a third successive top flight title with a 3-2 win over St Mirren. And the focus immediately switched to the end of season showpiece against their bitter rivals



McGregor said: “I think you have to be like that, and especially with the club that we are at, it demands success. It’s always a moving target. You have to keep moving, if you don’t and you stand still, someone will come and take it from you. People are always pushing you for your position and all of these things.

“I think in elite sport you have always got to be looking for the next challenge and pretty much five minutes after lifting the trophy on Saturday all I could think about was this game. But I think that’s good, I think that has stood me in good stead. I’ve still got that hunger to continue to win, and everything that is in front of me, I want to win it.”

 

I think there’s that much confidence about tomorrow, and they have a squad that wrecked, if we didn’t have him in the dressing room, if Hart wasn’t going into his last ever game and James Forrest wasn’t back as a key player I’d be worried about us being overconfident, and going into it thinking it’s won already.

Those three though, I think they make sure that doesn’t seep into our thinking. The experience, desire and ruthless winning mentality from Calmac and Jamesy in particular, Hart is up there as well but not the same scale as the other two for that for me but he will be tomorrow no doubt. That’s * irreplaceable.

 

Having Rodgers as the gaffer is important for that too, he'll be dotting every i on the game plan. The only thing he loves more than beating the huns is winning at Hampden.

 

This season under BR it’s worried me how we act when we think it’s done and dusted. 3 times against the Huns this year highlights it, but also highlights that BR has that record against them for a reason. But twice with 10 men they had us scramble, us thinking done and dusted and got a fright. And the other 2 up we let them back to 2-2 thinking 2-0 half time job done. And then we went 3-2 87 minutes in, and they equalised. We have an arrogance about us that kicks in too early, and I dunno if that’s me projecting Rodgers personality. We aren’t utterly ruthless like his first stint, and definitely not like the previous year under Ange. I try so much not to compare, but it’s always a thought that creeps in.

 

I think we've struggled to manage our games for a while, even under Ange. We always seem to look to conserve energy when we're ahead then struggle when the teams fight back against us.

I think it's a common tactic among teams nowadays with the amount of fixtures that teams play and the intensity of football that's required but it's something we'll need to get better at.

Saying that I don't see us doing that today. It's the last game of the season with a double at stake so I think we'll go for the throat.

 

Needs to watch. Walsh will send him off at the first opportunity.

 

He played them like a fiddle all of today.

They absolutely despise him, both the hun players and the huns themself. He's took over the role from Broony perfectly.

 

Good to see him over helping AJ when they were trying it on with him. The booking limited him defensively, but was the best midfielder by a mile.

 

Big pass in the build up to the goal . Plays his game no matter the minute or circumstance, never plays the occasion . Peerless in this country.

A winner that personifies the DNA of the club .

 

Thought he was MoTM today.

Hatate looked unfit. O'Riley didn't turn up until the second half.

McGregor was on it from the minute the whistle blew. Captains performance.

 

He was a mixed bag for me today, after his booking he was terrifying defensively and couldn’t put any challenges in, would just stay nearby. It was a real hinderance. But going forward and turning their press into us breaking forward, was exceptional man.

CCV was my MotM by a long distance.

 

He's went grey overnight.

 

Top class again. Soft booking that came against him, but great overall.

 

Thought he was okay in the first half but wanted more.

Couldn’t believe Rodgers kept him at CDM in the second half though. He couldn’t make any challenges because he was on a booking.