I always enjoy watching Callum McGregor these days.
He speaks a lot of sense, and yesterday he was all over Celtic social media promoting an interview he’s given to the club’s internal outlets.
On the surface of it there was nothing exceptional about the words that Callum said; we’ve heard him before expressing these sentiments, about how confident the team is and how hungry they are for success.
But scratch the surface and the real stuff was there.
It’s a rare thing, indeed, to hear a Celtic captain so bullish and confident and up for it so soon after the fixture list has been produced and before a single signing has been made. We have no idea how this team is going to look.
In theory, we have no idea whether or not Ibrox’s team will look more capable of challenging us.
But Callum isn’t letting any of that affect him.
He is already saying that we’ll be ready. He’s already saying that the new signings are going to hit the ground running, that they’ll understand from the word go not just what the expectations are but about how there are minimum requirements when you pull on the Celtic shirt.
He talks about that hunger as if it is automatically transmitted to the rest of the side … and you know what?
I believe that, based on what Rodgers said last season.
When you listen to the manager and the captain, they are on the same page all the way down the line.
Rodgers talked last season about some players who clearly did not realise the club they were at and how things here work. Those players are obviously the ones who found themselves far from his thoughts, and they will be ushered towards the door this summer.
They have nothing to offer us. The players who come in will all get it, and I know that because Rodgers will not sign anybody who does not. Now that he’s realised that he has to take control he will take full control. That’s started already with his decision to shift Haksabanovic when some above him at the club wanted the player to be retained.
Callum McGregor is the story of the day though.
Talk about someone in complete control.
One of the things about the captain that is so impressive right now is the way he’s grown into his role to the point where he no longer feels that he has to be diplomatic or indulge in ersatz humility because to do otherwise might send certain Peepul off the deep end, running to or squealing in the media.
I expect that some of those people will do that after his comments here, especially the ones about winning, and success, “being in the DNA.”
Callum would have been more cautious about that at the start of his tenure with the armband.
No more. He no longer gives a damn.
Callum is happy upsetting these people. He is not even against giving them a little poke with a stick.
Without being arrogant in any way, he projects the confidence of the whole club and he sees no need to apologise for that, or to pretend that it’s not so.
There is nothing wrong with confidence.
This is a player with nothing to prove, under a manager who has nothing to prove.
And Celtic’s confident outward appearance will be called egotism by some people. It will be called supremacist by others.
It is neither of those things.
Callum will be called a mouthy fool who has let the last three years of success go to his head. He is not.
Why should the captain of the biggest club in the country not feel like winning is the thing he and this team is built to do?
I know that some people hate it. He knows they hate it.
I’ve never cared that they hate it.
He once at least pretended to be concerned for the possibility that he might hurt their feelings.
He no longer feels that he has to.
It is not just an outward expression of his confidence and his growth, but it’s a pretty nice little bit of psychological warfare at the same time.
I applaud it. I embrace it. I love it.
The latest CelticBlog podcast is out. It’s basically me rambling for 50 minutes! If that sounds appealing (you are quite mad!) you can listen to it below!
He must know who the gaffer has lined up. A captain would have to be in on it. And if he is a bull at the gate with this stuff that will do me
This just seems like all the same conversations we were having this time last year, and who did we sign? Nae cunt.
I for one am expecting exactly the same thing to happen this season. The huns are a shambles, nae need tae sign anyone. Bain starts in goal at the start of the season, guaranteed. It’s the Celtic way as long as those scumbags are in charge. Fleece fleece fleece.
Meanwhile, they`ll still “wrastle” every time they meet Rangers.
As you say James, there is nothing wrong with him being confident. There will be many out there who will try to spin it in another way because that is their job.
With Calmac and Brendan driving things at the club we should all get on board with that confidence, ignore the negative nonsense of others and let the opposition worry about us. HH
Aye it’s good that Cal-Mac is confident without being overly cocky as that is a serious Sevco Huns trait season in season out…
He has enough Silverware and Medals behind him to be confident – That much is certain…
Who was The Sevco Hun – Was it that dud Sakala that was forever mouthing off to all The Scummy Scottish Football Media crayon scribblers about how they were gonna lift this cup, that cup and this title, that title only to be shown up by CalMac time after time after time after time as a winner in charge of a winning team on the field of play…
But The Sevco Huns never ever, ever, ever learn…
They’ll be a response of course –
We await the response ‘statement’ at whatever statement o’clock !