Callum McGregor started the job of picking up the pieces of Celtic Premiership campaign and also the even slimmer Europa League hopes today when he became the first to speak since he post match interviews at the weekend when Scott Bain, Ryan Christie and manager Neil Lennon spoke to the media.
Ahead of Celtic’s trip to Czech Republic to play Sparta Prague in the fourth group stage match on Thursday night, the Celtic vice-captain reckons that there’s unity within the squad and there will be a reaction to the adversity as the pressure mounts on Neil Lennon and the Celtic board.
Looking back on the traumatic events at Easter Road on Saturday when awful defending gifted Hibs a two goal lead early in the second half McGregor had this to say.
“The last 20 minutes of the Hibs game we managed to turn it around and get two goals and salvage a point.
“There’s no getting away from the results being stop-start and we’ve been dropping points where the small details have been going against us. It’s been frustrating and far from perfect. But we have to remember that as well, that in life, it’s never perfect.
“We’ve had a really successful spell with the club, the players, the management, the club as a whole – everyone who works for the club – and we’re all desperate to continue that success.
“And when I look in the dressing room, I see enough quality and enough hunger to go and have another successful season. We’ve had a little bit of a blip, but it’s now down to the players, the management, the club as a whole, everyone to rally round each other, and for the support to continue.
‘The support’s always fantastic and that’s why the club has been built on so much success, because the supporters have stuck with the club through thick and thin, through good times and bad times, and they’re always there.’
“So in terms of the message, it has to be everyone going together, stay connected, stay together and we will go on and have another successful season – I have no doubt about that.”
Looking ahead to the challenges that Celtic face with the Europa League needing a major miracle (three wins from three required) and the Scottish Premiership where it’s advantage to theRangers and the bookies reckon Celtic are 3/1 outsiders, McGregor is conceding nothing.
“No season is ever perfect or ever the same and I always touch on this when we have sticky situations throughout the campaign, that it’s how you react to the adversity in terms of bad results and bad performances,” Callum McGregor noted in his interview with Celtic TV.
Speaking to the Celtic View Editor the Scotland star was able to get the club’s message across without questions from outside the camp from journalists who would have been fishing for anything to add to debate on Neil Lennon’s future as Celtic manager.
“It’s how you react to that which is going to win you the league, and that’s what we have to do. We have to galvanise the group. The message from the club, from top to bottom, is that everyone’s together.
“We have to work extra hard on the training field, extra hard in the gym, in the games to do that extra yard for each other and, like I said, I have no doubt that we have enough quality to be successful.
🎙️ Callum McGregor spoke to @CelticTV today ahead of Thursday’s @EuropaLeague match. #SPACEL
“When I look in the dressing room, I see enough quality and hunger to go and have another successful season.” pic.twitter.com/MGIvsJZGwG
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 24, 2020
“That’s what we want to do, and for us now, we have to react and react in a positive way, and the only way that we’re going to have success again this season is if we react positively.
“We’ve got some home games coming up, so we have to make the most of them as well. Over the past few seasons, the home games are vital to the success, so we have to put a run together in this little period in December.
“And I think the good thing is that we won’t really have too much more disruption now up until March, so we’ve got a real run of three to four months with everyone training together, everyone playing together and, now we have to go foot to the floor and show that ruthless mentality that we have shown.”
🗣️ “Everyone’s together. We have to work extra hard and react in a positive way.”#CelticFC 🍀
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 24, 2020
