Regardless of what Callum McGregor and his Celtic teammates achieve in their time at the club, the Celtic captain is well aware that in terms of Celtic history nothing will ever match what Billy McNeill and the Lisbon Lions achieved wearing the Hoops. For Calmac there is simply no point trying to make any comparisons.
“We don’t think that way at all, because what Big Billy and his team-mates achieved makes sure they stand alone. What they did for the club was huge, domestically and in Europe,” the current Celtic captain said yesterday, as reported by Daily Record.
“No one’s come close to them, so all we can do is try to be a successful team in our own right. We’re focussed on the here and now of winning as many trophies as we can. Over the years, if Celtic teams have done well in Europe they tend to leave a pretty good legacy.
“Billy is probably the most iconic captain the club has ever had. He is certainly the most successful in terms of the big trophy. Guys like us aspire to be like Billy, who is a huge inspiration.
“We carry that with us every single day when we train and we try and get to a level where we emulate the success he had as a Celtic player and as captain. Seeing the statues keeps you humble. You walk in and see the size of the club, the stadium, I have been here 20 years but every time you walk through that front door you are humbled by the success.
“It keeps you hungry. Keeps you wanting more. One trophy is not enough, you need to win two. Two’s not enough you want to win three. That’s the nature of the beast at Celtic. You have to win things and be successful if you want to be regarded as a good Celtic player.
“Every time you walk through that front door you are reminded of it.”
Celtic get the opportunity tomorrow when they play Ross County at Celtic Park to stretch the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to six points and heap the pressure on theRangers who play Dundee the next day, presumably with tired legs after their Europa League match in Belgrade last night. If McGregor and his Celtic teammates go on to win the league in his first season as Celtic captain that will be a remarkable achievement given where Celtic were last summer as Ange Postecoglou walked in the door to begin his top to bottom rebuilding job.
“It would be a brilliant achievement if it happens,” McGregor admits. “I’m trying not to put my mind in that place yet. There’s a lot of football to be played still. A lot of training sessions for us as a group to keep improving and getting better.
“As long as we do that, stay humble and keep working – lifting trophies and success is a by-product of how hard you work and the quality of that work every day – hopefully at the end of the season that’s the case.
“We’re a new group, learning all the time and we want to be back in the elite competition that is the Champions League. There’s a huge incentive this year with the chance to go straight into the group stage. Before if you won the league you still had four qualifiers to go through, which is pretty gruelling right at the start of the season.
“You’re not quite up to speed, new players have come in, other guys have been away playing internationals, but one mistake and you’re out. It’s pretty hard to get through eight games, so if we could win the league and go straight in, that’d be great for the club in terms of revenue, status, everything – it’s the bracket we want to be in.”
🗣️ "We've had really tough games against them."
Speaking at the launch of the @BillyMcneillDay Golf Day Dinner event, Callum McGregor previews tomorrow's game. 🎙️#CELROS | #cinchPrem | #COYBIG🍀 pic.twitter.com/tdpMmO21Vv
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) March 18, 2022
- Callum McGregor was speaking at the launch of the Billy Against Dementia Golf Day and Dinner to be held on Friday, June 3, at Cameron House Hotel. The dinner will be hosted by Sky Sports Hayley McQueen with funds raised going to providing respite care for former footballers suffering from dementia. The event is being supported by the SFA, SPFL and PFA Scotland and tickets can be booked on: www.eventbright.co.uk
