GREEN & FIGHT
McGregor says Ange’s battling Bhoys have shown they can handle the heat
CELTIC fans may have been swept up by the swashbuckling Angeball but Callum McGregor reckons the Hoops showed another side to their game in Alkmaar.
The Parkhead men proved they can scrap as well as sizzle to reach the Europa League group stage.
McGregor admits it was far from perfect as Celtic gifting Alkmaar a way back into a tie that looked dead and buried inside five minutes.
But it was a worthwhile test of character to see how Celts cope with their backs to the wall and they came out battling in an impressive second-half performance to make it through the play-off.
That still looked a big ask when AZ came out of the hat but the Hoops stayed tough to get the job done.
McGregor said: “The most pleasing aspect of it was the boys stuck together, we got through it and we showed another string to our bow.
“We can play good football but we can also mix it and look after each other.
“It was a difficult game. You get the first goal and you think everything will be plain sailing. But we gifted them a goal and were up against it.
“The pleasing aspect is we stood strong and we battled through it.
“It can’t always be pretty football with four or 5-0 scorelines. Sometimes you need to battle.
“There’s going to be human error in the system we want to play, so it’s important we stick together. We showed that in abundance”
McGregor cut a relieved figure and insists Celts will be better for the experience.
He said: “It is important for us to learn from this. It is great that we got through but it doesn’t really mean anything if you don’t learn from it.
“Qualifying is a big step forward. The Champions League came very early on for us, we never quite had the bodies in that we wanted.
“We are still building in terms of how the manager wants us to play and it is important to the players that they achieve that first step in getting over the line and proving to themselves they can do it as well.
“We know how important group stage football is to the club, what it brings to the club, how important it is to the supporters.”
McGregor hailed keeper Joe Hart for atoning for his first-half howler, which gifted AZ’s leveller before Carl Starfelt’s own goal threatened to send Celts spinning.
The skipper said: “Joe is a top goalkeeper. There is always going to be human error but it is so important how you bounce back from it, the personality that you show. Joe has got that in abundance.
“He made two massive saves to keep us in the game. “All credit to him. It is
just brilliant for him to show that and help the team massively.” The skipper was also blown away by Adam Montgomery, who was pitched in with just 25 minutes gone after Greg Taylor injured his shoulder. McGregor added: “He was brilliant for a kid to come into that environment given the magnitude of the game. “He’s a great kid and he’ll just keep getting better. You look at some of the young boys – Tony Ralston, Stephen Welsh, Monty, Liel Abada. To deliver tonight for the club is a massive feather in their cap.” McGregor insists the game was the perfect way to tee up Sunday’s Old Firm showdown. He said: “In terms of belief in what we are doing, a moment like this where you get over that line has a massive effect.”