Q: Did you know it was going to be your last time with Scotland going into the Euros?
Callum McGregor: “Not really. It was a decision that I made after it and you get a feeling for these things. You’ve got to trust your instincts and that’s why I made the decision.”
Q: In the Champions League, you mentioned the excitement. From the players’ sense, is there a real opportunity to make a mark this season with that new format?
Callum McGregor: “Yes. In theory, you’re playing more teams around your level and you have the glamour games as well. It’ll be a new format for everyone. Even if we were continuing with the old format, the win against Feyenoord at the end of the campaign probably gave the boys a shot in the arm, because for so long it was glorious failure. Losing the late goal against Lazio, the Atletico Madrid game finishes 2-2 when you do enough to win the game. I think that the Feyenoord game on its own has been enough to give the boys the energy and belief that we are actually good enough to compete. The new format will change things slightly with the way teams play as well. There’s no reason why we can’t go and make our mark as well.”
Q: Talk about Feyenoord, it was Matt O’Riley that set up that winning goal. Do you think from a selfish perspective it’s good to have these players with experience around for the new campaign?
Callum McGregor: “Absolutely. Experience at that level especially is vital. We try and keep as much of the group together as we can. Players like Matt will attract speculation and whatever happens there we might need to try and find the next one. If we can keep him then for sure that’s going to help the group. He’s a top player and made that impact in Europe last year. Everybody being together for another 12 months is hopefully going to put us on a better foot.”
ALSO AT LENNOXTOWN TODAY…Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers spoke to the media ahead of Sunday’s game against St Mirren…
We’ll make our mark all right – as one of the worst teams in the competition! Celtic are nowhere near the quality they must be to compete at that level, especially now that the greedy Board has sold our prize asset.
This window is an utter disgrace. No disrespect to Calmac but he knows, the manager knows, we know and the board certainly know, we have no chance of making an impact without the “quality” that’s been required since Ang left. This board aren’t fit for purpose. They also know through the home ticket scheme they have most of the £200 a head money already. They have zero ambition and we can look forward to being European also rams