Not for one moment, not since he was appointed, have I believed that Callum McGregor was anything other than the best possible choice as Celtic captain.
But he knows what we all know; that to become a great Celtic captain he needs to win things.
Fortunately, Callum is going to have plenty of opportunities to do just that and it will start with the first domestic trophy being contested next month. If he succeeds there and we go on to win the league title, he’s a Scottish Cup away from a rare honour and if he does that in his first season in the job then he’s well on the way to being a legend.
Callum deserves it. Like Forrest, he looks as if he could finish his career at our club and has never shown the least inclination to do otherwise.
I am sad for him in some ways that the loan move which was the most important thing he did in his career may have deprived him of a place in history as a one-club player; I don’t know if it counts or not but he deserves that status.
Callum knows that he has doubters and critics. He knows that some people don’t think he was the best choice, but who else was there? Realistically, who could have stepped into the role and done it better?
We needed a presence who knew the club inside out, someone who had the respect of the other players because of where he’s been and what he’s done.
The last step he has to take is to prove himself a winner in this new role, and he won’t have long to wait until he does. A stalwart of some seriously good Celtic sides, a certain starter for his national team and a first pick at Parkhead for as long as I can remember, he has done it all in our colours except for that one thing.
By the time this season ends, he’ll have made it.
And then Callum McGregor’s name will have entered that hallowed place; the pantheon of great Celtic captains. It has been waiting for him for years now.
James don’t you think that he’s the most overrated player to have ever played for Celtic James Forrest is the most underrated player to have ever played for Celtic?
The question wasn’t for me, but I would suspect that James does not think either thing because both are demonstrably untrue.
Neil Lennon was the most overrated player. He wasn’t fast, didn’t make amazing passes, didn’t make anyone else in the side better, he was just, “A hard man”. I guess that was what was needed in those teams, but the game had changed so much that he wouldn’t get into even this Celtic team.
James gets the most stick of any player this century. I don’t know why, he gets big goals, makes the passes, the runs, and makes players better. He’s a great player, but is injured a lot and maybe that’s why? If football players had their jerseys retired and hung from the rafters like in American sports, his would be for sure.
Neil Lennon wasn’t much of a hard man. His positional sense and reading of the game were top notch, which is why he was the absolute nucleus of probably the best Celtic team since Stein’s time.
I was far from convinced that he was anything other than the least bad option for captain. It reminded me of McStay – great player, never a captain. But, I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised with how he’s taken to the role.