Callum McGregor

Ultimately the decision when, or if, to have surgery is the players. The club can't force them.

 

True. Hadn't thought of that.

 

The boy McKowan absolutely dominated him the entire time he was on. Iwata needs to start from here we can't have any passengers. Iwata plays really well with Hatate so I have no worries there. Get Calmac rested.

 

Turning into Brown and is getting overplayed as *

 

The hyperbole surrounding McGregor is unbelievable.

You’d be forgiven for thinking we had the second coming of Xavi in midfield the way some people go on about McGregor.

Is he a good player? Aye. In fact he’s sometimes very good.

But suggesting he was the best in the country “by a distance” is just blatantly bullshit. Miles better than Hatate, or CCV, or Kyogo the last 2 seasons? Or Jota? Not a chance.

Even now I still see people say he’s easily our most important player. He just isn’t at all. Our record and performances without him over the last while are actually quite good. CCV is a far more crucial player for us.

 

Brilliant footballer but it’s not been his season. Turned up in a few games but more often than not, he’s been found wanting.

Doesn’t have the necessary physicality or defensive awareness to play that 6 role. Gets overrun and outmuscled a lot and it’s cost us in many games this year. The Killie games spring to mind.

100% would be in my team every week when he’s fully fit but not as a stand-alone 6. We won’t progress to the next level without a Wanyama type player in that role.

 

That's just silly... The club can 100% not play him because they say he's unfit until he gets work done... What's the player going to do/say? No, I'll just sit here and wait, to spite you... A player can ABSOLUTELY say they WON'T play, but not the other way around... It would be insane to suggest they can overrule physios and doctor's if they're injured.

Now, on judgement calls, they'd definitely be listened to, for their input, but that's not the same thing

 

So you are saying a club can force a player to have surgery against their will?

 

Don't think it's hyperbole at all, he is one of our most important players, Captain and a winner.

I can absolutely see why we're trying to get him as fit as possible for this run in.

 

Of course not, it's not * Germany we're talking about... But if a club say that they categorically will not play the player until they have the surgery or sit it out until they recuperate on their own, what will happen? Do you really think the player will just sit back, sulk and torpedo their own career?

I'd also have to assume there's some form of 'frustration of contract' for not complying too, so it's easy to believe they'd be out without/on minimum pay...

It's just NEVER gonna happen!

 

It really depends on the player. Let's take a hypothetical scenario, as all this is hypothetical anyway: a player coming towards the end of their career has a chance to play at a major international tournament, possibly for the last time, knows he wil not make the team if he gets needed surgery, but can play on with pain killing injections, and is asked by the international manager to hold off having surgery until after the tournament. Do you think it's feasible they may decide to take that option, even if it goes against medical advice?

 

I would argue that he is a better player than all of those guys you've listed due to consistency over a near decade period.

The others are outstanding but have they kept it up over the same length of time McGregor has managed to? Kyogo hasn't hit the heights of his first two seasons. CCV has had some wobbles this season, too. Jota has gone to Saudi and struggled to get a game for whatever reason. Hatate has been injured for nearly the whole of this campaign.

I'm not dismissing that those players aren't outstanding, I'm being very picky and some situations aren't anyone's fault.

However, McGregor has been a minimum 7/10 player over at least 6 years worth of football where he has missed less than 40 games in total.

This season has been by far his worst in a Celtic top and he is still one of the best midfielders in Scotland despite that.

 

Hearing Callum has been held hostage tonight


Apparently been held in Dermots bunker

 

You sure?

I'm hearing he's been flown to a luxury retreat in Switzerland for showdown talks with the physio department.

Pretty sure it's true, it's coming from my most reliable WhatsApp group.

 

I’m not denying he’s one of our most important players. Of course he is.

But to say he’s the best player in the country “by a distance” is quite blatantly nonsense.

CCV being injured or out of the team for an extended period of time would be far more of a blow than McGregor being out.

 

Again though, what he did years ago isn’t relevant to now.

In the last couple of years he hasn’t been the best player in the country. Never mind “by a distance”.

Jota’s time in Saudi Arabia has nothing to do with his time here. CCV has had a couple of wobbles this season aye, but McGregor has been largely poor or at least below par.

I’m not saying he’s pish or not one of our best players. But there’s a couple of players in our team right now I’d rate above him. CCV, comfortably, and Hatate when he’s fit and firing.

 

CCV being out highlights the poor quality of the other CBs at the club, where as in the CM we are much stronger. So aye CCV would definitely be a more of a miss.

A fully firing McGregor is probably the best player in the country for me. Its about how consistent he's been, season after season.

 

It wasn't years ago. This is literally his worst year in years.

I wouldn't say he is best in the country by a distance currently. Over the last 6 years, undoubtedly though.

Hatate is better when fit and firing... But you're not talking about a fit and firing McGregor.

 

The original point was to do with the last couple of years. Where McGregor just simply hasn't been the best player in the country.

Aye over the last 6 years as a collective he has...but within each of those seasons has he always been the best player in the country? Not at all.

Even with a fit and firing McGregor, I'm taking Hatate before him. McGregor is a great player, but these days he simply isn't doing enough for us. He's being played in a position that doesn't get the best out of him, which isn't his fault I know.

 

He’s clearly playing through injury and he’s like a man down at the moment.

Using his current injury laden form as some sort of proof that he’s not all he’s cracked up to be is a stretch to say the least. If you think of any of our great Derby & European performances over the last few years, McGregor has been front and centre of almost all of them. You can even include Scotland’s best performances in there.

Clearly he’s not head and shoulders above the likes of Hatate, CCV and Jota but for me he’s our best player and has been for years. Proper top level footballer and the sooner we get him back fit the better. For now he should be on the bench.