ANGUISH TO ACCOLADES
McGregor’s season started with doubt... but is ending with prizes
TAKING the reins from departing captain Scott Brown last summer, Callum McGregor faced up to the responsibility of leading Celtic at a crossroads in the club’s history.
Dreams of a historic ten in a row had just gone up in smoke amid a disastrous season under Neil Lennon. An uncertain future lay in wait.
A major rebuild was needed under the incoming Ange Postecoglou and, when McGregor looked around the fresh faces arriving in the Parkhead dressing room, he sensed more than ever the need for the remaining experienced players to step forward and lead by example.
If he had big boots to fill after Brown, McGregor’s successful maiden season as Celtic skipper has ultimately seen him follow in the footsteps of club legends.
After inspiring his side towards the brink of an unlikely title triumph, the 28-year-old was crowned PFA Scotland’s Player of the Year on Sunday night.
That saw McGregor join the great and the good in Parkhead history including previous winners such as Brown, Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton, Shunsuke Nakamura, Aiden McGeady, James Forrest and Kris Commons.
‘It’s a really proud moment for me. To be voted Player of the Year by your peers is a great feat,’ said McGregor. ‘There are so many impressive names who have won this award in the past.
‘To join that list is something I’m really proud of.
‘It’s lovely to get it in my first season as captain. There’s no getting away from it.
‘I wanted to lead by example. To be one of the more experienced ones — and having that responsibility that comes with the captain’s armband is something I relish.
‘I want to have an impact on the team and on the lads. The boys have been first class with me in terms of taking direction and listening to what I’ve got to say. I think it brings the best out of me.
‘For me, as captain of the club, the team awards like the League Cup obviously mean more but the personal awards alongside that show you have had a good season.’
McGregor has known nothing but almost constant success, winning the league title every year since breaking into the Celtic team in July 2014. That first taste of failure last season cut deep, but the experience drove him on to put that right in his first season leading the group into a new era.
As the final whistle sounded in last Sunday’s Old Firm game, McGregor gathered his team-mates around him and told them to get ready for one last push.
The 1-1 home draw with Rangers had left them requiring one victory from their final three league games to swing the balance of power in Glasgow back to the east end of the city.
Three points at home to Hearts on Saturday lunchtime — combined with Celtic’s superior goal difference — will ensure the title race is effectively over.
For McGregor, getting over the finish line is something he has been dreaming about since his summer holidays last year.
‘My message to the team after the game on Sunday was: “Just continue to go”,’ he revealed.
‘We needed a win and a point. We got the point on Sunday and now we keep moving on.
‘It was a big game which could have gone either way.
‘The group knew it was an important day and we’ve come through it reasonably well.
‘Now we look forward to the next couple of weeks. Off the back of a disappointing season, all I could think about was coming back and setting the record straight. I wanted to prove to people it was a one-off season.
‘It wasn’t a quiet moment when I thought that. It was every day. Even on holiday, I was thinking I couldn’t wait to get back and try to put this right. With so many new guys coming in, it freshened the place up and gave us new impetus.
‘It made us hungry and you can see that in our performances.
Whether we win, lose or draw, that hunger is always there.
‘The boys are all working for each other. That’s how you build good and successful teams.’
After the darkness that descended at Celtic Park last season, McGregor can only see a bright future under Postecoglou.
In addition to his own Player of the Year award, Liel Abada was named Young Player of the Year while Postecoglou picked up Manager of the Year.
Tom Rogic was shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year while McGregor and Cameron CarterVickers were shortlisted for the Football Writers’ Player of the Year, which was won by Hearts and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
McGregor said: ‘To have so many new players come in and build a new team and then have so many involved in the PFA Scotland team of the season, winning Manager of the Season, and Young Player of the Season, is fantastic for the club.
‘We have had a great season. We can now go and finish it off in the next couple of weeks.
‘But the award nominations show everyone is moving in the right direction.’