Callum McGregor

McGregor won’t be taking a break from the captaincy and I don’t think he would want too or needs too. He was not our problem in the game yesterday, yes he missed a penalty but our problem wasn’t losing a shoot out it was not beating a very average team over 120 minutes. Why did that happen? Look at the cup final squad, Aberdeen had a stronger bench than us, more options and people that could change a game than us.

In our cup final 20 players if you take out the two keepers we had

Scales, Bernardo and Idah all start who at best should all be bench options. The bench options were -

- Ralston
- Trusty
- Schlupp
- McCowan
- Forrest (with the amount his leg was taped up before the game questionable he was fit before he came on)
- Yang
- Kenny

James Forrest, who didn’t look as if he was fit is the only one reliable player ability wise who could change a game on that bench.

Yang and McCowan have done it in lesser games on occasion but not with any degree of consistency. Don’t get me wrong Ralston and Trusty are back up necessity options but Schlupp hasn’t really kicked a ball in months, Kenny is untested.

If you go back a couple of seasons we had the likes of Abada, Giakoumakis, O’Riley/Mooy, Turnbull and Haksabanovic (for that season looked decent) all who could impact a game. You had Starfelt starting beside CCV and Jenz to come of the bench. Jenz wasn’t brilliant but he is far superior to Scales or domestically Trusty. The only position we were really light was left back as Bernabei flopped but if we had got that signing right we would have had a team of

- Hart
- Juranovic
- CCV
- Starfelt
- New left back
- McGregor
- Hatate
- Mooy/ O’Riley
- Jota
- Maeda
- Kyogo

with all those 5 mentioned above in reserve, we even tried to get a proper DM in Souza and eventually Abildgaard but that didn’t work out. We were literally about 2 better signings at LB and Centre midfield from a class side.

Now look at the squad, it can’t be overstated how bad that 2023 summer window was and how it set us back.

Even looking at that team right back and both keepers are probably the positions in our full squad we have improved and even right back there isn’t much in it. We are worse at Centre back both in starting and depth, Centre midfield in terms of starting and depth and centre forward both starting and depth.

I believe this summer is the most important one we have had since Ange’s first window.

 

Probably his last season at his full capacity, needs to start sitting out the odd one for me.

 

Agree with this. Will start to see him playing 70 mins a fair bit I would imagine.

 

You would think so but BR is always resistant to rest him because of how he knits it all together and probably because his intensity is relentless and he digs others out if not.

Need to start looking long term unfortunately, he won’t be here forever.

 

Thought he was great defensively today. Seemed to constantly find himself in the right place at the right time.

 

Another trophy to celebrate for Callum

 

Was absolute quality yesterday btw. Won possession back so many times and was the perfect link to take us from defence to attack in most phases. Captains performance. Hopefully he keeps up the momentum and carries it into the season

 

This is the season to get someone in there to help him and give him rests were appropriate.

 

IT was a treble medal he wanted at Hampden.

Instead, Callum McGregor was left with tears for souvenirs.



But the Celtic skipper reckons getting emotional after losing a dramatic Scottish Cupfinal penalty shootout to Aberdeen shows just how much the club means to him.

He said: “I think people think that we’re robots.

“But we’re not robots, we’re human beings.

“And I think if anybody didn’t know how much this club means to me before, then they probably do now.


McGregor was consoled by Brendan Rodgersout on the pitch as he bawled his eyes out, having been one of the guys who stepped up and missed, as he selflessly APOLOGISED to his gaffer.

He added: “You can’t turn the tap on and off.

“It’s a 24-hour thing that you live with every single day.

“And my job is to make this club successful.




So when that doesn’t happen, you feel responsible.

“With the position you’re in, you take the pressure, you take the responsibility. And it goes all the way through your life.
“You can’t just switch it off.


So it’s a big pressure, but it’s something I like and it’s something I’ve thrived under and been successful more often than not.

“But when you have a sore one, it’s a reminder of how you need to keep pushing, keep learning and keep getting better.


And you hopefully minimise those down days.

“With someone like the manager, when something like that happens, you feel like you’ve let him down.

“You also feel like you’ve let the team, down and the you’ve let the club down.

“Like I say, you hold that responsibility so you can’t just switch it off. You feel responsible in the good days ands you feel responsible in the bad days as well.


That’s something I’m quite proud of, that I take so much pride in what I’m doing.”

McGregor’s tears dried up but the agony he felt lasted for weeks after the cup final defeat.

He added: “Everybody went away on holiday.

“But you don’t start enjoying your holiday, probably, until a couple of weeks after it.


My family and the people close to me, they are there to support me in those times. They love you unconditionally of course, no matter what happens in the football pitch.



Having their support in the immediate aftermath was very important because they’re the ones who pick you back up and level you off.

“You’re as low as can be, really




It’s my whole life, it’s my profession. It’s what I pride myself on. So when you have a bad day you can’t help but carry it with you for days and days and days.”

McGregor’s tight relationship with Rodgers was there for all to see as they embraced out on the Hampden pitch.

Now the 32 year-old is eager to make the most of that by gleaning as much knowledge as he can from his gaffer as he weighs up what’s next for him when the day comes for him to hang up his boots.

He added: “We just got chatting in the carabout that on the way to this press conference.




We talk about football all the time anyway.

“He was asking what I fancy doing after I finish playing, not that he was trying to retire me or anything!

“That’s still a few years down the line.

“But I’ve always been involved in football, it’s pretty much all I know. And I want to continue to be involved in that, whether that be coaching or managing


You don’t quite know what’s in store for you.

“But I certainly want to stay in football.

“The next progression would be to do my badges and see how I like it. Then you just never know from there.


But in terms of the chat with the manager, I think we often take things for granted.

“I was there sharing the car with the gaffer on the way to the stadium and this is a guy who managed Liverpool and managed at Leicester and Celtic.

“That’s invaluable information that people may never get to listen to. Even if nothing comes of it, there was a conversation that gave me an opportunity to learn.

“You learn from everything you see


We have guys coming into the building and other guys who have been there for years.

“Your job is never finished.

“But the conversation was one that not many people would ever get access to.

“He’s got a very mentorship style, he loves helping players.


He did that with me when we first met each other.

“It’s been an amazing relations and something that’s been nurtured over time. We have a really good understanding with each other and what makes us tick is very similar.

“Over time the relationship grows and grows and I am really thankful to have someone like that in my career to try and help me as much as he can.


As a player, you just never know how things are going to pan out.

“With sports science these days, everybody is preparing better, eating better and sleeping better.

“You just never know how long you’ve got left.

“You can try and earmark what you think but it may be longer than that and it may be shorter than that.


You come back preseason, get fit, feel good.



I am going to continue to play and push my body as much as I possibly can. But at some point, that day will come.

“You want to be ready for that so you can decide what you do next.


For now, another full season is coming with a lot of minutes and a lot of games. But I feel good. I feel like my body has been used to it for the last eight or nine years



I always say to players, get into rhythm.

“Now for me it’s just normal. I don’t really think about too much. I know what my body needs and I just keep churning out games.”

 

Another season of Rodgers endlessly starting him with no rotation.

 

What is it with our managers refusing to bring back up for him?

Lennon, Ange and Rodgers have now all seemingly refused to properly rotate him, i just don't get it.

 

Typically teams don't rotate their leader very often.

We should have a backup/competition though

 

So predictable isn't it

 

Eh, I dont buy that.

He's seemingly played the most minutes of of any football over the last few seasons, and its quite clear having a proper CDM to offer something different in certain games would benefit us (and him) a lot.

Even then, he wouldn't need to sit, I would be happy to push him further up field too.

 

Was pish..

Everytime he lost it, they were in..