“We don’t want this to snowball,” Callum McGregor

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The Celtic Star

·28 August 2025

“We don’t want this to snowball,” Callum McGregor

Callum McGregor spoke frankly after Celtic’s shock Champions League exit against Kairat on Tuesday night, with the realisation that a golden opportunity to progress back into the new League phase of club football’s premier competition had been lost to a club who would probably struggle to get into the top six in the Scottish Premiership.

Celtic line up Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 Aug 2025Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

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And while it’s possible to have a one-off bad performance and result against a poorer side, for example St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park last season, Celtic had two chances to wipe the floor with Kairat but instead were dragged down to their level and ultimately can have no-one to blame but themselves.

The blessing in disguise is that a weakened Celtic side – and throughout 2025 those running the club have allowed the team to be weakened time and time again and now here we are, missing out on £40m in revenue – would get hammered in the Champions League this season. Look what happened to theRangers last night!

Christos Tzolis of Club Brugge celebrates scoring his team’s sixth goal during the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round Second Leg match between Club Brugge and theRangers at Jan Breydelstadion on August 27, 2025 in Bruges, Belgium. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

Up until Callum McGregor’s intervention, Brendan Rodgers was the only voice coming out of Celtic as this accident waiting to happen unfolded before our eyes on Amazon Prime on Tuesday evening. We were the lucky ones, spare a thought for how the 400 to 500 Celtic supporters who made the 7000 mile there and back journey felt.

The Celtic captain spoke after the match about the manager’s future, the need to strengthen the squad which has been gallingly obvious for many months, the frustration at losing to Kairat’s game-plan and to a side that’s frankly not very good and the necessity to pick ourselves up quickly and to get a result at Ibrox on Sunday to avoid the negatives around the club in the aftermath of Tuesday night snowballing.

Joaquin Seys of Club Brugge celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal with teammates during the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round Second Leg match between Club Brugge and theRangers at Jan Breydelstadion on August 27, 2025 in Bruges, Belgium. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

Of course Callum McGregor’s comments were said before theRangers went out of the Champions League themselves at the playoff stage, losing 6-0 last night in Brugge and going out 9-1 on aggregate. Their worries don’t lessen our own pain but that result probably changes the dynamics of Sunday’s Glasgow Derby, especially as it’s at Ibrox with their support livid and wanting Russell Martin gone. If Celtic start well, get an early goal or two then it could be an eventful afternoon to say the least!

Brendan Rodgers manager of Celtic talks with their players before being substituted on Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 Aug 2025Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

On Brendan Rodgers, Callum McGregor reckons he’s top class and points out that in his view Celtic are lucky to have him at the club. Rodgers has voiced his frustrations and noted that if the club can’t match his ambitions then he won’t stay around to be a maintenance manager.

“Listen, he’s a top-class manager and he wants to be in the top competitions. We’re lucky to have him and we want to keep him, of course,” McGregor said, as reported by Scottish Sun.

On Celtic’s transfer window woes he said: “Hopefully we can get the business done that we need to get done to help the team. This has been a punch in the nose, but we have to get over it and make sure it’s still a good season for us. If we can get the help we need by getting the bodies in, then hopefully the team can fly from here.”

Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic celebrates after scoring during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between theRangers and Celtic FC at Ibrox on September 03, 2023. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

It’s fair to say that the Celtic Board has been getting blamed for the failing to replace Kyogo, Jota (who is injured) and Nicolas Kuhn and let’s be frank with these three in the team (or suitable replacements) Celtic would have sailed past Kairat.

“You have to trust the people in the right position to do their jobs and get what we need. Everyone at the club is accountable,” McGregor said. “The players are accountable, the manager is accountable along with the coaching staff and the guys upstairs.

Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay applaud during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on August 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“Everyone is working for the same goal, we all want Celtic to be successful and playing in the best competitions. So we have to trust the guys to replace the quality we’ve lost from the squad. That may take time but we obviously don’t have much of it now.

“We’ve gone right through the window and everybody knows what we need in terms of help for the team. Hopefully we still get it and that can help the team go on to have another successful season.”

Even if that happens and it’s not too little, what we already know is that as far as the Champions League is concerned it certainly is too late. And that’s a huge problem for Celtic support who made the Board perfectly clear of how we are feeling during the home match against Kairat with the ‘Sack the Board’ chants coming from all around the stadium.

Jorginho of Kairat Almaty strikes an indirect free kick which Daizen Maeda of Celtic blocks Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 Aug just 2025 Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

Kairat or course were no great shakes and it’s probably fair to say that Celtic couldn’t have been dealt a better hand yet still managed to blow it badly.

“That’s the thing that’s frustrating,” the Celtic captain admitted. “What they did was make the game ugly and break the play up. That’s something, at this level, that we have to try to stay above and not get dragged into.

“But they also did well over the two legs, they defended really well. They made it stuffy and we never quite found the answer, even though we did create some chances. We probably had four or five big chances that, on another night, maybe go in and we get through the tie.

Celtic players appear dejected after losing in the penalty shootout Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 Aug 2025Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

“But that’s football. It doesn’t always drop for you. Can we now find way to turn the narrative in our favour, though?”. We’ll get an answer of sorts to that on Sunday as Celtic look for their first win in 2025 against theRangers.

“We wanted to be a part of the biggest competition and we’re not there. But we need to park it,” Calmas said.

“We have a huge game on Sunday that we have to get ready for. We don’t want this to snowball and let one bad result turn into two bad results. Suddenly real pressure comes. The players know that and we have to recover now ahead of a big game on Sunday.”

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Foreword by Danny McGrain. Published on Celtic Star Books on 5 September 2025. Click on image to pre-order.

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