'That's Celtic for you': Wilfried Nancy triple header is no issue for key figure

“That's Celtic for you, isn’t it?” was the captain’s response to Wilfried Nancy’s three festive crackers within seven days. They are Hearts at home in a top-of-the-table summit on Sunday, Roma in Glasgow on December 11 and then the Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren at Hampden three days later.

While Nancy has not been officially appointed Celtic boss, the expectation is that his arrival will be confirmed at some point this week. Caretaker manager Martin O’Neill had anticipated that Sunday’s 2-1 win over Hibs would be his final act as interim boss, only to reveal that there has been a delay in the Frenchman’s paperwork. As a result, the 73-year-old will preside over Dundee’s visit to Parkhead on Wednesday.

Win that - plus Hearts lose at home to Kilmarnock on the same evening - and Celtic will return to the Premiership summit. A victory will at least ensure that Sunday’s meeting with the Jam Tarts will allow them the chance to claim top spot in that encounter. It is some potential opening match for Nancy.

McGregor is treating the situation like any other. He has seen managers come and go. He is too long in the tooth to be affected by a critical point in Celtic’s season.

“Every week's a big week,” said McGregor. “It doesn't matter when you come in, start of the season, play 60-odd games, you have to win them all. And that is the pressure of this club, so any time you fall below that, then you get criticised.

“So, the guys that have been here for a number of years, we know that, we know the level, so you have to win, that is the demand. And whenever the manager's first game is, they'll be under pressure to win as well.

“The players will have to step up again and help the new manager and the guys settle in when they come in and hopefully we can all continue to win games and keep pushing the club forward.”

Celtic ‘barely get a chance to breathe’

McGregor relishes his role at captain to ensure his teammate remain focused on on an even keel. “I think obviously our job in the building is to keep everyone level-headed, keep them calm when you're winning games,” the skipper continued. “It’s the same when you're losing games, you don't get too low, so it's pretty easy at the minute where everyone's confidence is flying high and the turnaround to the games is so quick that you barely get a chance to breathe, so you're straight back in.

“The demand to win the next game, it doesn't matter if you've won during the week, the demand is to come here and win, and we've managed to do that, so we'll enjoy it, start recovering again and the same happens on Wednesday.”

Since Brendan Rodgers left Celtic at the end of October, the team have won six of their past seven matches. McGregor points to a demanding schedule as to why the team hasn’t been derailed.

“I think it's so busy at the minute, we've got two-day recoveries, playing the next day,” added McGregor. “The team are in good form they've got in good momentum, so ultimately as a football player, you just want to get back on the pitch, regardless of the manager situation.

“The guys have come in and done amazing, stabilised the place, have given the players big, big energy, so the players have responded. If you win games, it's always good, so the players are enjoying it at the minute. We'll just keep playing until we're told otherwise.”