Callum McGregor ‘Responds’ to Kris Boyd and James McFadden comments but after Auchinleck win

Celtic captain was quick to praise his teammates and the coaching staff after their win over Falkirk. It wasn’t the prettiest of sights, but the three points were secured, with the captain once again highlighting the mood around the place.

McGregor has returned to do post-match interviews, something that he didn’t do under former boss Wilfried Nancy. The exact reasons for that haven’t, and probably won’t, be confirmed, but supporters have a pretty good idea why.

Martin O’Neill made it two wins from two since returning once again as interim boss, with successive clean sheets to go along with it.

Benjamin Nygren scored the only goal of the game to go second in the Premiership scoring charts. The Hoops got away with one, with Falkirk having numerous chances to score.

Captain McGregor gave his immediate reaction to the win, focusing on the positives of the performance given the conditions. He said (Premier Sports):

“You’ve got to win these games, especially midweek games on the astro, weather’s not great.

“But we know that, performance-wise, we’ve got to perform a lot better than that to continually win football games.

But coming off the back of what was a difficult four weeks, I think that’s huge. Shows that the mentality is back in the group, clean sheets, and 1-0 to get a big win.”

McGregor highlighted the importance of O’Neill’s return and how that has galvanised the squad:

“He is such an experienced manager. When he came in the first time, six weeks before, he got a huge bounce off the players as well.

“To be honest, we’ve sort of picked up where we left off. Really good atmosphere, the boys are working so hard. You see, there, the last 15-20 minutes, people are running their socks off trying to get in the right areas to defend.

“It’s a big, big team effort, so he’s been amazing. Shaun, Fozzy, all the guys have been brilliant – we’ve just got to keep responding with wins.”

Attention now turns to the Scottish Cup, where Celtic face West of Scotland Premier Division side Auchinleck Talbot. To put the tie into context, Talbot are five leagues below the Hoops.

The tie will take place at Kilmarnock’s Rugby Park this Sunday, with kick-off at 5.30pm.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor is giving major props to his teammates and the coaching staff after their win over Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup! He praised the team’s mentality, saying it’s back on track after a tough few weeks. McGregor highlighted the efforts of everyone involved, from Shaun Maloney to the whole squad, crediting them for the team’s improved performance ¹ ².

The win wasn’t a walkover, though – Celtic struggled against the sixth-tier side, with Martin O’Neill even admitting they were “unconvincing” at times. But McGregor’s leadership shone through, and the team managed to secure a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Johnny Kenny and Sebastian Tounekti ³ ⁴.

McGregor’s commitment to the team is undeniable, and he’s proving to be a true leader for Celtic. With this win, they’re through to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup – what’s next for the Hoops