A lot has been made of Callum McGregor’s poor form before the winter break, but has he really been that bad? How much is his performance got to do with the entire team not scaling the heights of which they are capable?

Callum has been singled out many times by the manager to highlight his consistent nature and ability but now it seems it’s the fans chance – to do the opposite – and highlight how poor he’s been but I wouldn’t say he’s been that bad.

He’s maybe not been operating at full capacity but you can still see the space he creates and his eye for a pass. However, I would say he got caught up in the occasion against The Rangers as he wasted possession a few times with wild shots from far out which never once troubled the keeper.

Could he be suffering from Tom Rogic being out injured as there isn’t really a player he can rotate with? We desperately need a fit Tom Rogic back in the sides to help when things aren’t moving in an attacking sense. He has also never had this much topflight game time in his career thus far and maybe he has been a little jaded.

McGregor and Rogic compliment each other very well as they have different styles of play. They work better against different teams and it seems McGregor has needed this break just to re-energise and be able to come back and show his best ability once the winter shutdown is over.

He maybe hasn’t caught the eye as much lately but he is still quietly going about his business in the middle of the park.On top form, he is easily one of the best players in the team. I have no doubt that come Saturday against Brechin he’ll be on the ball again.

Matthew Magee