interview Whole new ball game second time around as Mulgrew repays faith shown in him by Lennon, writes Richard Wilson
If he is not among the handful of players who are central to the hard-edged conviction and accomplishment of Neil Lennon’s side, he has at least established himself as a dependable figure, somebody worthy and able of contributing to their pursuit of dominance.
But he can also be seen as symbolic of the progress made by this Celtic team. This has been a campaign of trying to reclaim not only the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title, but also the sense of assurance that was misplaced under Tony Mowbray. Celtic were fragile at the beginning of this season, as Lennon tried to assimilate his new signings. Now they are strong and forthright, moving within reach of the championship.
Mulgrew was the first new arrival during the summer of rebuilding, but he was uncertain in those opening games, as if exposed to a sense of doubt, and it seemed as though he was destined for the margins of the squad once Emilio Izaguirre arrived at left-back. Mulgrew’s personal resurrection began at Ibrox last January, when he unexpectedly played at left midfield as Lennon sent out a side powerful and adamant enough to defeat their old rivals at home.
Last Sunday, he took his more accustomed role at centre-back, and brought the physical presence and steadiness of mind that provided a platform for Celtic’s 0-0 draw against Rangers. For Mulgrew, it was an opportunity to redress the self-condemnation he felt after the Co-operative Insurance Cup final, when Nikica Jelavic stole through the centre of Celtic’s defence to score the winning goal in extra-time.
With his defensive ability having often been questioned, even by his own managers during Mulgrew’s two-year spell at Aberdeen, every game is an opportunity to reject the assumptions that are still held about him. By moving ahead of Thomas Rogne and Glenn Loovens in the pecking order of centre-backs at Celtic Park, Mulgrew has already redefined himself.
“Hopefully, it’s proving people wrong and showing that I can defend,” he says. “Sometimes when a thing is said enough you start to believe it. I was eager to prove that I could play against [Jelavic]. There were a lot of things from the cup final that we weren’t happy with and that was on our minds.”
In Mulgrew, we see a player whose personal development is a tribute to Lennon’s management. At one stage earlier in the season, the defender might even have been described as a lost cause, but Lennon felt there were enough qualities in him to persist. And the defender now talks about the debt he owes the manager, the understanding that this second chance to play a part at the club he grew up supporting is something to cherish. “I’d love to repay him by winning something,” he says.
Mulgrew is 24, still young and inexperienced for a centre-back, but tall, broad and capable of stepping out of defence with the ball and setting a tone of measured calm to Celtic’s play. There are still flaws -- he can slip into an oblivious air at times -- but these rough edges are becoming less evident. Having left Celtic in 2006 as a young player considered dispensable, Mulgrew has returned with a shrewder perspective.
“I felt I had unfinished business,” he says. “You don’t want to sit at a club not playing first-team games for too long when you are young. You need to move on and further your career. I did that. I learned a lot of lessons and I’m a better player for it. You get motivation to prove your worth and you grow up when you leave a club like Celtic. Coming through here, a lot is handed to you. It maybe becomes a bit easy so it’s good to go away to maybe lesser clubs and fight for your position.”
There are five games left for Celtic to overtake Rangers (they have one game in hand and are one point behind the Ibrox side), but Mulgrew is wary of taking anything for granted. All that matters now is to not be distracted, to maintain the determination, the purpose, that has brought Celtic this far.
Mulgrew can joke wryly about the club’s foreign players’ reaction to the parcel bombs sent to Lennon -- “They don’t speak about it, I don’t even know if they know about it” -- and he is dismissive of the latest theory to emerge from this season: that Motherwell will be happy to let Celtic win the final league game of the season, because if they win the title then the Fir Park side will be guaranteed a place in Europe, regardless of the outcome of the cup final between the two sides.
“I’ve played for Aberdeen, I know what it’s like to play against the Old Firm,” Mulgrew says. “You’re desperate to win and all the pressure is off for one game. So I’d imagine [Motherwell] will work hard to win the game, the same as every team.”
The reliability of Mulgrew, his sure-footedness, extends to his appreciation of the challenges that remain this season.
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