When legendary manager Bill Struth uttered his famous line about Rangers ‘welcoming the chase’, he probably didn’t envisage a day when Celtic would edge ahead of his beloved club in the all-time trophy table.
It is now the Ibrox side who are doing the chasing, with Celtic top of the pile in both the current Premiership standings and the all-time trophy list following their dramatic penalty shootout victory over Rangers at Hampden on Sunday.
Finding positives in such a situation for Rangers may be difficult for their fans amid their disappointment in the immediate aftermath of the game, but there were plenty of them in the performance of their team, and enough to suggest they are at least up the fight of trying to claw their old rivals back.
Describing Callum McGregor as being in any way ‘Struthian’ is likely to offend just about everyone on both sides of the Glasgow divide, but the Celtic captain at least channelled the same sentiment as he assessed the challenge that Rangers had posed – and will pose going forward – to the domestic dominance that Celtic have now long enjoyed.
When asked if he welcomed the potential of a greater test from an improved outfit on the other side of the city, McGregor said: “Yes, and listen, Rangers are a good side.
“You see them in Europe and they're playing really well. They're starting to gain momentum in the league as well.
“So, you know that when you come to a cup final you have to do a lot right to win the game.
“In the second half we did. Rangers also did a lot right as well. So, it made for a really good game. When you're in these moments, the most important thing is winning.
“It was a tough game. A tight cup final between two good teams, who gave everything. We left nothing out there and both teams were trying to win the game.
“It was probably a good final for the neutral and not so much for our supporters! We put them through the wringer a wee bit.
“But the good thing about this group again is that, when under pressure, they can come through difficult moments.
“They produce moments of quality when there are super high-pressure points in games.
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“That's testament to the group. If you can't play well, you make sure you still win the game and that’s what we did.”
While even McGregor acknowledges that Celtic knew they were right in a game then on Sunday, the disheartening thing from a Rangers point of view may well be that even when their rivals aren’t at their best, they have the inner resolve that inevitably leads to them finding a way to win. A quality apparently lacking in their own ranks.
“You can always reflect and try to find out where you can be better,” McGregor said.
“But it feels much better when you've got another trophy in the bag and a medal around your neck.
“Days like this and cup finals are about winning. You can look at it after the game and think about what could we do better? But the ultimate aim is to get to the cup final and win.
“I'm super proud of the group as well. We stuck together on what was a difficult day.
“It was an amazing win, and we showed big personality again.”
With the recapturing of the League Cup, McGregor has moved level with legendary captain Billy McNeill on 24 major honours as a Celtic player, an achievement that is far from lost on the current skipper.
“When you start getting mentioned in that type of company then you know that you've done a lot right,” he said.
“So, it's a proud moment for me.
“But the thing for me is I just want the team to win. To come through that and for everyone to show their mettle and show what they're about, you get more satisfaction as a player and as a captain.
“It’s great to see that within your group. Because that's a combination of everything day to day that you do.”
And he is unlikely to settle at 24 either.
“Yes, that's it,” he said.
“That's the thing about playing for this club. It demands success.
“We go into the game and probably everyone thinks we're favourite to win. So, straight away you're on a hiding to nothing. If you win the game, everybody goes, ‘okay, up the road’.
“But it's not easy. You've got to keep turning up and turning up. And making it happen as well.
“Over the years we've won a lot of cup finals and we've done it in different fashions.
“This is one that was a lot harder than some of the other ones, but that makes it even more pleasing.”
