It was a nervous night on Wednesday at Celtic Park as the team took on St Mirren, until we scored anyway. In fact, some in the crowd were raining down criticism and anxiety on the team midway through the first half.
As the title race heats up, supporters are well aware we have to take all three points in every match right now and with the scores sitting at 0-0, clearly many were worried we were on course for another draw.
One particular moment stood out in terms of a crescendo of noise from the crowd. Jota tried to backheel a ball through to Liel Abada instead of playing a simple pass, to the frustration of thousands at the stadium.
In the aftermath of that, McGregor stepped in to try and calm down his team, gesturing for them to take stock and not feed off the anxiety in the stands.
Asked about it after the game, the captain said in a press conference attended by 67 Hail Hail: “It’s just frustration. That’s the pressure you get playing at a big club. You have to take that on your shoulders and still be able to perform, still do the right thing, still do what the manager is asking you to do.
“There are some new players, some young players, but I think they’re handling it well. It’s a difficult prospect sometimes. The boys are really trying to keep implementing what the manager is asking them to do. It’s about the experienced boys just calming them down at the right times and keeping them on the right path.
“We try and play a type of football that requires patience sometimes as well. When you get teams that come and sit low, it is hard to break down. You have to keep moving the ball and keep shifting it side to side to try and find that opening to get you a goal.
“It can come from a set play, it can come from a mistake or whatever. You’ve just got to be ready to take the chance. That’s our game. We want to pin teams in and make it hard for them to defend till we get that opening. But it does require patience.
“It’s going to be a nervy run-in towards the end. It’s just about the players and everybody staying calm and trusting what has got us this far. It works, so we stay calm and keep doing the right things. Hopefully, we will do enough to get there.”
McGregor has proven to be an excellent captain this season, not just on the pitch but as an ambassador for the team off of it as well. He always communicates what it’s like for these players without sugarcoating anything.
Everyone understands there is going to be frustration from the stands, but perhaps the home crowd could be a bit more patient in future. I think the first half is certainly too soon to get worried about where the match is heading.
Celtic, more often than not this season, have found a way to goal eventually and they have to be trusted they can get the job done.
In other news, Barry Ferguson is in denial about the attraction of his old team up against Celtic and Ange.
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