McGregor will seek to repay Ronny’s faith by staking regular claim
CALLUM McGREGOR gained a fair idea quite quickly how Ronny Deila regarded him. One month after his 21st birthday and with top-team experience only of League One with Notts County, McGregor was handed his Celtic debut in the Champions League—Deila’ s first competitive game in charge. He scored the winner against KR Reykjavik, the first of four goals in seven matches. Trust was established straight away and McGregor went on to play 27 times before the turn of the year, a key figure for Deila as the boss familiarised himself with his new surroundings. Now there is apprehension for McGregor. He was part of a squad gathered together on Wednesday before training and informed that the man who believed in him more than any other in his burgeoning playing career would no longer be his guardian or guide. A new managerial hopeful will be keeping an eye on the next five Celtic games, checking out the playing provision he may inherit if Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell give him the task of seeing off Rangers and returning the team to the Champions League group stage this summer. That means a great unknown for McGregor, who was impressed by how Deila handled a personal problem that intruded on his professional life earlier this year. The attacking midfielder was banned from the road for a year for drink driving. A chastening experience, he was left out of consideration for selection for a month until returning with a match-winning display against Partick Thistle and offering up a heartfelt post-game interview giving thanks to Deila for his firm but fair treatment.
So McGregor repaid Deila’s faith with a debut goal at the beginning and a learning-curve recovery from an off-field setback towards the end. Now he owes him more than most to push on and make the best of his career. But all of a sudden it’s about creating as favourable a first impression for the new boss as he did for Deila.
‘Ultimately now we have to win the league first and foremost,’ said McGregor. ‘But now you’re playing for places next year as well, you’ll have to put some performances in. There’s an apprehension about who’s going to come in and the regime we’ll be under.
‘Someone will be watching these games with that in mind. So as much as we need to win five games, everyone will have that in the back of their mind — that there will be a new manager coming in who you have to impress.
‘Ronny Deila gave me my chance, put me in the team and let my Celtic career take off. Even though he’s leaving, I still want to be here. So it’s important for me to kick on now and go and make an impact.
‘Obviously I’m a bit disappointed. He’s been great for me. He put me in the team to start with, showed faith in me. He’s been good on and off the pitch with me. He’s always the type of guy you can go and speak to about your concerns and opinions.
‘He’s a personable guy. I can relate to him. He’s hands-on, likes to speak to the boys and get to know how they’re feeling. He’s genuine that way — but unfortunately we’ve not had the results and performances we’ve been looking for and that’s the business we’re in.’
The new boss will also need to address a poor big-game mentality that was at play under Deila from European flops against Malmo to the League Cup semi-final loss to Ross County.
Then, of course, the derby-day defeat that prompted the announcement with five league matches to go that Deila would not return for a third campaign. McGregor, on as a sub for MackaySteven, missed a shoot-out kick and took the defeat hard.
‘Everybody was hurting,’ he said. ‘The first few days we were really disappointed, really down. It was hard to swallow. We’ve tried to pick the bones out of it. Talking with the boys at the start of the week, you’re always thinking about every touch. How could I have done that better, done this better?
‘I missed a penalty but, if you asked me again, would I take one? I would. It’s just trying to bounce back from that and bounce back as a group. The players know we didn’t perform in some big games.
‘So it’s disappointing the manager takes the brunt of that. Everyone was working hard and doing their best. We just came up short on a few occasions and that’s the reason the club now goes in a different direction. The decision has been made. If it’s best for the club, it’s good for everyone and we can move on and focus on the next five games and on to next season.’