McGREGOR’S CIRCLE

AFAMOUS triple treble, eight Premiership trophies in a row, soon to be nine. Coming through the uncertainty of losing a manager halfway through a history-chasing season. A global pandemic.

Callum McGregor and his Celtic team-mates have lived, together, through it all.

That’s why it didn’t take longer than a brief conversation with captain

Scott Brown for the Parkhead players to accept wage cuts and deferrals to help their club through the toughest of times.

Over and over again, Celtic’s players and staff have shown the team spirit to see off challenges. You only need look to December 29 at around

5pm to see another moment of doubt, when the pendulum swung in Rangers’ favour for the first time in eight years.

McGregor and Co came through that, too. Wage cuts to help the club through the coronavirus crisis to the other side? No sweat.

“Everyone at the club was on the same page from the start of the crisis,” McGregor revealed. I had conversations with Broony about what was happening and the players understood the situation.

“The club is united and that one of the reasons why we have been so successful in recent years. We were keen to make a commitment to help the club stabilise and come through this crisis. The club is in a good place, the players have been looked after and the togetherness was clear from that first conversation. We all wanted Celtic to come out of this in a good place and maintain that feelgood factor. Everyone has showed unity and I think the way it’s been handled has painted the club in a good light.

“We are one club and there is a family feeling. Everyone feels valued and respected and that shows on the pitch.”

The coronavirus has caused chaos around the world, as well as in Scottish football. Between clubs furloughing their stars to the aforementioned wage cuts, the lockdown on March 13 has not been kind to anyone.

However, it has brought with it some well-earned rest. McGregor, for example, topped the “most minutes played” list for last season having played in 69 matches, clocking in a staggering 5894 minutes played. But that hasn’t stopped the creative midfielder from missing his time on the pitch.

In fact, McGregor says it has reignited his spark and given him a second wind. “The mental break is welcome, when you’ve been playing close to 70 games for the last three or four seasons. Physically, you need to stay in good condition. That never stops. But the training in the gym isn’t the same as playing three high-pressure games every week. European games, semi-finals, finals, massive league games – that’s a different type of challenge.

“You need to programme your brain to go again every three days – you have to play, win and play well. The one benefit from football being suspended at the moment is that you do

Everyone at the club was on the same page from the start