The Hoops could claim a 55th league title next term with a fourth consecutive Premiership win
It’s a number that has special significance in the wacky world of Scottish football but it will have extra meaning for Callum McGregor this term.
The Celtic captain is going for 55 – in more ways than one. McGregor knows the Hoops are sitting on 54 top flight titles and are now just one behind Rangers, who caused a fuss about the figure when they claimed it a few years back. But the 31-year-old is also determined to clock up 55 games – at least – after gritting his teeth and playing through the pain barrier to get to the total last season. McGregor stamina and workload has become legendary around Parkhead.
H’s not played less than 50 games a season since 2017, whether it was wearing a mask after a fractured cheek or racing back from a hamstring tear last term to drag Celts to a glorious Double. And he’s back feeling fit and firing to do it all over again. He said: “Am I up for another 55 games? Aye, for sure. Definitely. I feel fit and just can’t wait to get going.”
McGregor is a serial Celtic winner with 22 major honours at the club and he revealed the secret as he gets ready to go again. He treats every single trophy like it’s his first.
And the next one could be significant in Scotland as well as it would nudge the Hoops clear as the most successful club in the land after moving level with Gers on the silverware count last term.
McGregor said: “You look at the scenes at the end of last season. That’s what this club does to you – you celebrate every trophy like it’s the first. Success is so ingrained in the staff, the coaches, the players and the supporters.
“When things go a but wayward, you think this might get taken away from us – it just sharpens everyone up. The last six weeks of the season were a prime example of that. We have to bank that experience, of course. But it’s important to anyone coming in to understand it right away.”
McGregor knows Celtic made like tricky for themselves last season at times but when the dust settled Brendan Rodgers’ men had amassed an impressed 93 points to finish eight clear of their fierce rivals. It seemed all the drama along the way was a lot of fuss over nothing, but the skipper is determined to raise the bar this season.
McGregor said: “We were talking about it the other day. We actually started the season really well. I don’t think we lost a game for about 10 or 11 games in the league.
“We had a spell in the middle when it wasn’t so great, we lost the two games in December and everyone started to hone in on that. But we ended up with 90-odd points and when you look back at the season as a whole, it was really successful.
“I probably just didn’t feel as good compared to the season before when we won’t the Treble. But I think it was maybe just a perception, and when you finish with two trophies out of three it’s successful. That’s done now, of course. We are looking forward to another season where teams will provide us with difficult challenges. It’s about us finding the solutions.”
McGregor is relishing being back on club duty after shaking off the Scotland hangover after the pain of the Euros. He said: “It was a really disappointing summer, I don’t think you can get away from that. The only way you can grow as a player, a person and as a group, it so to take responsibility.
“There’s no point hiding away. We had a tough group but the hope and expectation we put on ourselves, it was disappointing. We all have to draw a line in the sand with it and get back to our clubs.
“In terms of the Celtic guys, we had a successful end to the season and we have to pick up where we left here. Every season is a new challenge and the focus is 100 per cent on Celtic.
“Of course there was disappointment but in football you can’t allow yourself to be disappointed for too long because there’s always a new challenge. You have a responsibility, especially at a club like Celtic, to be full of energy. You can’t carry that disappointment for too long.”
The Hoops haven’t been lacking in energy in pre-season. They’ve come back with a bang and the slick display in the thrilling 4-3 friendly win against Manchester City has got fans excited, along with the promise reinforcements are on the way to bolster the squad.
McGregor said: “We are in a good place. You could see the fluidity of the football is good, along with the counter press and tactical ideas.
“It kind of feels like we’ve picked up where we left off, when you look at the slickness of the game the other night. It’s good because we’re really understanding the model of how we want to play.
“Teams will give us different problems but we know we have different answers now. It’s important to keep drilling that home. The players look good and are comfortable in the system. It’s now about getting the work in with another tough friendly against Chelsea before it starts for real the following Saturday.”
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