JAMES MCCARTHY has signed for his boyhood heroes.
James and his family Are Celtic daft and this is an incredible moment for them all.
However, it’s twinged with sadness after James’s dad Willie passed away just a few months ago and will not see his son pull on the Hoops.
The midfielder spoke briefly about how much his dad influenced his career and helped him get to where he is.
“My dad was a massive influence for me throughout my career.
“From a young kid, he took me back and forward to Hamilton. He’d pick me up and take me here and there, my mum and my dad.
“Losing my dad a few months ago, it’s been a tough time for the family.
“I am delighted to be back home seeing them more, and I know how much this move would have meant to him.
“I’m coming here to do him and the family proud.”
I’m sure every last one of his family is proud of him. Losing a loved one is never easy and we wish the McCarthy family all the best.
On influences in his football career, the new Celtic signing revealed Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has had a massive say in how he plays and his knowledge of the game:
“Roberto Martinez was a massive influence. He took me down south and then to Everton.
“He was a big influence on me tactically. Every detail he’d go into on a daily basis.
“I went down to Wigan as a young boy and grew into a man within six or seven months.
“I was 18 when I signed and found it difficult to get in the team. By January I broke in but I was playing in a more advanced midfield role.
“After a year or two, I went to being a deeper midfielder. So he changed a lot of things in my game.
“I am thankful to him and I still speak to Roberto quite a lot. In fact, I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago on text.
Former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill also got a mention. McCarthy playing under the treble winning boss for Ireland:
“Martin O’Neill was also a massive influence on me with Ireland. Roy Keane was No 2 and would tell you what he thought.
“But that’s just the way he is. You see him on TV and he’s no different to when he is in the changing-room.
“Roberto and Graeme Jones were maybe not shouting and bawling, but they would get their point across as well.
“That’s just different styles of managers and part and parcel of football.
“With Ireland, I loved my time playing under Martin. We had a lot of good times to be fair.
“We got to the Euros and did well. I enjoyed my time working under him.
“Was I starstruck at first? A bit, but that’s football.
“You go down south and play against a lot of big players every week. But I’ve never thought, ‘Wow, that’s such and such’.
“I have always thought it’s a good challenge and look forward to the battle ahead.
“You look at the days Martin was here at Celtic and it was an eye-opener for me to meet him at first.
James is a player who can come in and be a real force if he can stay fit. The Hoops need a holding midfielder who can protect the back line but also get the ball forward.
Soro looks very raw and lunges into challenges when he should be a bit more reserved. Scott Brown had the position down for years but in the end, time was catching up with him.
It’s unlikely we’ll see James play in the next two games because he’s not had a proper pre-season. If he doesn’t get into the squad for Dundee on Sunday afternoon he will 100% not be playing against Jablonec because he isn’t registered for this round of the competition.
I’m excited to see what James can achieve at Celtic, having another hoops fan in the team doesn’t guarantee you wins but if the talent is there, going that extra 10% because you’re pulling on the Hoops could go a long way.
God rest James’ dad. Really sad situation for the player and family. Aside concern for the player on a personal level it should also be in Celtic’s mind that we had a similar situation with big Shane last season and his personal tragedy had a significant impact on his game. I hope James is able to bring his A-game to Celtic because we really need him to be at the top of his game. Sounds selfish and disrespectful to say such things but the club really needs all it’s players to be fully at it. We must stop conceding por goals and we must put teams to the sword. It is as simple as that. Winning 4-2 every game is not always going to be the answer. The defense needs to be air tight as a starting point. Good luck James, good luck big Shane and good luck Celtic.