McGregor reckons anyone who questions Bhoys’ mentality are well wide of the mark
As the heir apparent to Celtic captain, Scott Brown, Callum McGregor knows better than to upset the men at the very top of the Hoops’ hierarchy.
Even so, the Scotland international cannot help but take issue with majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond’s suggestion the club’s early European exits could be down to a mental block on the part of the players.
“I don’t think there is a psychological issue,” said McGregor.
“If you look at this team’s record in the last five or six years, it’s pretty good in terms of winning things.
“If you go back to the Europa League group games last season, against Rennes at home, and Lazio home and away, we got over the line there.
“So personally, I think the group’s in a good place. Of course, you’re always trying to get a 1% edge that can make the difference.
“It’s about each individual and what you think you need. For golfers, it’s an individual sport so it depends on the human being you’re dealing with, superstition and lots of other things.
“We seem to have a system here that works for us. We win big games, and we win trophies when they’re on the line.
“And no-one will ever shut the door on anything that might make us better. There’s always room for those types of conversations in sport.
“But in the main, this group is pretty strong mentally.”
Instead, McGregor argues the wounding exits were just examples of the sort of misfortune all footballers encounter from time to time.
“I know it is easy to say we were unlucky. But if you actually look at performances and results, you could think that is what we have been,” he continued.
“I look back at the crazy Cluj game, in which they only went up the pitch four times but scored on each of them.
“Then against Ferencvaros this season, we controlled large parts of the game and they went up the pitch and scored with 10 minutes to go on a counter-attack. It can happen.
“In these games, if you make mistakes you get punished. But if you actually look at the performances, they have probably been worthy of us getting something.
“Hopefully we can take that element of luck out of it when we go to Riga on Thursday.
“We have to try to do all the right things because when we do that, nine times out 10, we win.
“Typically, away from home you get some hostile environments and the fans play a part, so hopefully that will be to our advantage going over there next week.
“The stadium will be empty, and it’s just two teams playing a game of football. That should help us, taking the hostility out of it.
“It’ll be a little bit different.”
The same could be said of what awaits the 27-year-old when he eventually fulfils the predictions of Neil Lennon and Scott Brown and becomes the Celtic captain.
“To hear the manager and Scott – two brilliant captains who have led this club so well – say nice things about me, I take a lot of pride in that,” said McGregor.
“Those guys have been a huge factor in this club for years so for them to speak positively makes you feel good.
“If the club ever took the decision to make me captain, I’d be delighted with that. It would be a hugely proud moment for myself to come right through the system and become captain.
“That would be a dream come true in terms of the storyline of it.
“When I was younger, at a few different age groups I was captain. But you can’t compare it because football can be a bit crazy when you’re younger but you grow into the role and start to understand about yourself.
“Now, to be a first-team player at Celtic and a Scotland international, it starts to become real.”