‘Hopefully Brendan can and celebrate success
McGregor: Rodgers deserves the credit
THERE can’t have been many falls from the graces of the Celtic support as spectacular as that of Brendan Rodgers when he left the club mid-season last year, going from a messiah to a pariah in one fell swoop as he made the leap to Leicester. Imagine, though, what the reaction from the Celtic fans would have been had he managed to prise away one of the crown jewels of his all-conquering side to England along with him?
That unthinkable scenario from the supporters’ point of view wasn’t so far-fetched, with Rodgers casting admiring glances back over his shoulder towards Celtic Park in the direction of key midfielder Callum McGregor.
That prospective move did not come to pass, with McGregor instead committing his long-term future to Celtic by signing a long-term deal. For many Celtic fans though, the Rodgers’ act of desertion was already unforgivable.
The man who was subject to that interest from his former boss though hopes that time can heal those old wounds, and that Rodgers’ role in the current run of glory that the Celtic support are enjoying is one day recognised. He even hopes he may be able to come back and savour the acclaim of the Celtic Park crowd for the transformation of the club that he set in motion.
According to McGregor, they couldn’t have done all of this without him.
“The nine-in-a-row run is a combination of three managers we have had,” McGregor said. “Brendan, Ronny [Deila] and the current gaffer [Neil Lennon] have all done incredible things in their own right.
“Brendan achieved so much for the club. Hopefully over time people can see the influence he had and the role he played in this brilliant run, started off with the gaffer and continued by Ronny.
“We had three great years under Brendan – winning three trebles. To have that much success at a club and for it to be overlooked, just in the heat of the emotion, would be a shame. Hopefully one day they can all come back together and celebrate the success.
“Emotions run high in football but everyone has been a part of this and hopefully that can be appreciated over time. Brendan’s influence in this nine-in-a-row run shouldn’t be forgotten. He totally transformed the club. He took it to a different level when he came in with his exceptional standards. You couldn’t drop below it for even one session. It was always an opportunity to get better.
“We progressed as a team and individually and his influence can still be seen on the club as a whole. In terms of mentality, we have now won 11 major trophies in a row and that has never been done before. That says everything about the psychological side of things that was drilled into us in 2016. At Celtic, you have to win and win again. That is the culture at the club.
“Huge credit to the current gaffer as he has continued the success since taking over. He has always been a winner anyway but also sets the standards in terms of tactics, performances – everything.
“The gaffer has taken up the mantle from Brendan and we seem to be going from strength to strength.”
From a personal point of view, McGregor is gutted that a dream season for him has been cut short, with the Scotland international hitting a career-high number of goals for the term with eight games still remaining.
While he was flattered to have been linked with that move to Leicester last year, he believes it was the security of knowing where his future lay that spurred him on to even greater heights.
“The stuff in the summer was nice to hear – that an ex-manager liked working with you,” he said. “There was speculation and you kind of do have half an eye on that, but you are also just focused on doing your best for Celtic.
“I had a job to do for the club and as soon as I got the contract sorted, I just felt like I went from strength to strength. I am very happy at the club and that was very well reciprocated in terms of what the club did for me. We showed some good loyalty to each other and I was just desperate to get back to enjoying football.
“My performances, from the moment the contract was sorted, probably kicked on. I felt like I was getting better and better in every game. My fitness levels and sharpness seemed to take off.
“In the second half of the season, I felt I’d kicked on even more. I got the 13 goals to break my Celtic record and I felt really confident that I would push on again.”
And McGregor is hoping that the rest of his team-mates will follow suit and stay for the chance to secure 10 in a row.
“We want everybody to stay together and have a go next season,” he said. “What gets lost sometimes is that Celtic is a massive, worldwide club – an institution. To be at Celtic is a privilege.
“You hear about clubs trying to take our players and there will be links to the Premier League but what you have to remember is that Celtic is a massive club and this is a big stage to perform on.
“It would be brilliant if we can keep the squad as strong as possible to do that.”