Few things get a Celtic supporter’s blood moving quite like a former Rangers striker with a newspaper column and a hot take. In early February 2022, Kris Boyd delivered exactly that, and the reaction was swift.
It came after Celtic’s 3-0 win over Rangers at Parkhead. Callum McGregor played the full 90 minutes wearing a protective mask, having fractured his cheekbone against Alloa less than two weeks earlier. It was a captain’s performance, and plenty of people said so. Boyd, writing in the Scottish Sun, praised McGregor’s commitment but added a line suggesting it was surprising that nobody had “tested out” that mask. For many Celtic fans, that read as something far uglier than a joke about defending.
Celtic didn’t let it slide. The club posted a short statement saying the matter was being addressed, which in football terms is about as pointed as it gets. Boyd then wrote a follow-up column saying he had never wanted McGregor hurt, and that he was criticising the Rangers players for failing to get close enough to the Celtic skipper.
McGregor handled it with the class supporters have come to expect. He admitted the comments didn’t make great reading at first, but said the pair had spoken, Boyd recognised it was a poor choice of words, and that was the end of it. Former Celtic striker John Hartson was less forgiving, calling the remarks bad taste and pointing out that Boyd hadn’t exactly been known for getting stuck in.
So was it a clumsy turn of phrase or a line that crossed a boundary? Fans will keep arguing it. The episode still shows how thin the line is for pundits who trade on strong opinions, especially when Old Firm emotions run high. McGregor moved on, and Celtic got on with the title race, but the story hasn’t been forgotten.
