Callum McGregor

He doesn't lack heart and is a decent reserve but he shouldn't be a first teamer

 

85 Larsson (206 games)
83 Thompson (228 games)
80 McGeady (252 games)
65 Stokes (192 games)
64 Commons (227 games)
55 Petrov (280 games)
50 Nakamura (165 games)
49 Maloney (216 games)
48 Brown (409 games)
45 Izaguirre (250 games)
44 Samaras (252 games)
40 Sutton (199 games)
38 Hartson (202 games)
38 Forrest (225 games)

 

Today's PC
https://streamable.com/ppqnp

 

Callum McGregor could have more than one reason to celebrate this weekend.

The Hoops midfielder, a product of the club’s youth academy, will make his 100th appearance for the club if he has a role to play against Dundee at Dens Park on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s a special milestone,” he said. “It’s something I’m especially proud of being a Glasgow boy and coming through the academy.

“I heard a few weeks ago I was on 94 so it will be good to clock up the 100 and it would be even more special if I could do it on the same day as winning the league.

“Going on loan was a big help, it really benefited me. I was just young when I went down to England and it taught me a lot.

“It’s great to come back and then go on to make 100 appearances for the club I joined when I was nine.

“There is no one really left from my age group. I came through with Dylan McGeouch but apart from us there’s no one really left.

“It shows how hard it is so obviously I’ve done something right.”

While McGregor will have a personal interest in Sunday, there is a bigger picture, too.

There is little suspense to this season’s title race, with the only question being when rather than if.

Should Hearts beat Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday afternoon before Celtic head to Dundee then victory would be sufficient to give the Parkhead side a sixth successive title, the earliest any top flight has secured the Championship.

If Derek McInnes’ side hang on, then the Hoops will have to wait until the international window closes.

“First and foremost we’re looking forward to the game on Sunday, try and win that and get a positive result and we’ll see what happens elsewhere,” said the midfielder. “I know it’s an old cliché but in football that’s what you’ve got to do.

“You need to be prepared for every game.

“That’s why we’re in this position. It would be nice to cross the line, so we’re looking forward to it.

“It would be a great achievement and excellent if we could go and do it. So everyone is looking forward to that. First and foremost we want to go and win the league and if we go and do it in style then great.

“I think we’ll just check the result as it comes in. That’s been a big part of why we’ve been so successful because we’ve just focused on our own stuff and let other teams get on with what they’re doing.

“We’ll look at the result when we come in and we’ll assess the situation.”

This week has been unusual at Lennoxtown in that there have not been too many weekends in which – just two domestically – in which Celtic have dropped points.

The manner in which the Parkhead side allowed Rangers to take a late point on Sunday felt more reminiscent of a defeat rather than a draw, given the huge expectations on Celtic going into the game.

For McGregor, though, it is all about what lies ahead in the coming weeks.

“It slightly felt like a set-back in terms of the way Rangers scored late on but, I think, the important thing for us is that it’s another game undefeated and it just continues the run we’ve been on, which has been excellent,” he said. “So I don’t think the boys have been too disheartened this week. We came back in and had a couple of good training sessions and we’re looking forward to Sunday.

“It sharpens the focus again going into the next few weeks and with the semi-final coming up then it really spurs us on to do well in that.”

The teams meet again next month in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final with the theory being that the result at the weekend will give Celtic a quick reminder of how precarious a journey to a Treble can be.

“You can never take too much from these games,” said McGregor. “It will be about who turns up on the day and who wants it more.

“We’ll be very focused going in to the game and trying to get the right result. People say it’s a wake up call but there’s not too much truth in that.

“We drew the game and it was a bit subdued at the end but we are still unbeaten and have a great record.

“The confidence is still sky high and we need to take that in to every game.”

 

Isnt Dylan McGheough at Hibs(not loan)? He says that they are the only ones of bis youth team mates left at Celtic.

 

McGough is a Hibs player he signed for an undisclosed fee.

 

I'll defend Mcgregor to the hilt.

Semi-final when we were pish he came on and tried to get stuck in and he did the same on Sunday.

100 appearances tomorrow and I hope he's here for much more. He has still so much potential and by time times he's 27/28 he could be a really important player for us.

Might not be the most effective at times but he never hides. His best attributes are all technical which will only improve, that's the mark of a player who's bound to progress.

 

He said they were the only ones left, but didn't say 'at Celtic'. He maybe meant that they're the only ones still playing professionally? Who else was in that age group?

 

Pretty sure Jackson Irvine and maybe Tony Watt.

 

He's a player a lot of Celtic fans love to hate for some reason.

Wish we had a peak McGeady right now.

 

I've said this before but it's worth repeating, it's seems quite consistent the amount of players we're producing from the youth system who have very good ball control. Even Tierney a full back can come out with some very high skill moves when needed.

Most youth players are impressive but right now Henderson looks to have extra special skills. If he progresses in the next 4/5 years he could be an incredible player. Hopefully the same for Aitcheson and Miller.

Very good sign of a quality coaching staff.

 

Nothing spectacular but gets the job done, he'd run through a brick wall for Celtic. You need players like McGregor in your squad.

 

Says a lot that when him and Tierney were coming through they weren't anywhere near the highest rated in their teams.

The amount of players that were all several levels ahead of them in the same youth teams that didn't put the work in to make it is incredible.

McGregor's youth team especially. George, McGeouch, Irvine were touted as future superstars in our academy. Chalmers, Watt, Herron, Fraser, Johnstone etc. Were all rated higher than him as well.

Love him as a player.

 

I always really liked McGeady. That said, I've always been more tolerant, even biased, towards Bhoys who come through our academy.

Sure he was frustrating at times, but he also carried the team at points. I did always think he could have pushed himself a wee bit more, and it's a shame to see how his career has gone in the last few years.

 

I like McGregor a lot. What a difference having his engine in midfield opposed to Bitton.

 

100 games, would never have thought that. Was one of his worst today right enough, his passing was horrific. Unlike him.

 

He wasn't bad today, but I always like it when he gets around the box and plays quick one-twos, didn't see enough of that today.

Funnily enough, him coming off seemed to have a similar impact to the Armstrong substitution last weekend. We just lost that wee bit of composure and control in midfield.

 

I'll just never see in him what some others do.

He's a decent squad player but in all honesty, if we are to really kick on then even our squad players should be of a higher quality than him.