RYAN TICS ALL BOXES TO BE STAR IN HOOPS
CELTIC ANTHONY HAGGERTY
a.haggerty@dailyrecord.co.uk patient, waiting for your chance and then taking it.
“Our squad has been really strong in the last few years and Ryan was probably just outside that.
“Whenever he did train or play with us he was still at a really high level.
“He was just unfortunate that guys like Moussa were doing so well but, with the big man gone, I’m sure he’ll take full advantage of that now.”
McGregor admits Celtic laid down an early marker with their comfortable 1-0 Old Firm win over Steven Gerrard’s Rangers at the start of the month.
However, Rodgers’s side seemed to undo all their good work as the 10-man Bhoys stuttered to a sluggish 0-0 draw against St Mirren in Paisley on Friday night, spilling another two vital Premiership points to slip five behind early pacesetters Hearts.
The double Treble winners will need to quickly bounce back to form on Thursday night at Celtic Park as the focus of attention switches to the Europa League.
The Hoops kick off their group-stage campaign with a home tie against Norwegian champs Rosenborg.
And McGregor said: “There was obviously a bit of disappointment after going out of the Champions League but we made sure we qualified for the Europa League and that was a big thing for us. The Rangers match was crucial as well.
“We felt we had to put down a marker and let people know we’re still here and we’re not going away.
“The performance on the day was excellent and if Allan McGregor hadn’t pulled off a string of excellent saves then we’d have beaten them by three or four goals again.
“It’s good for us to know we’ve still got that in our locker and that we’re able to turn it on when it comes to the big occasions.
“It’s foot to the floor at this stage of the season.
“There are lots of games between