VAR accused of cramping Celtic's style as voice within dressing room annoyed at 'delays' upsetting their rhythm
Luke McCowan says he’ll NEVER sulk about not starting games for Celtic - because he’s just so desperate to be part of the Hoops’ success story.
And the Parkhead midfielder believes that if he continues to shine alongside Celtic’s galaxy of international stars, he can earn a dream Scotland call-up in March. The 27-year-old has made a seamless transition from Dundee to the Premiership champions after getting his big move last summer.
McCowan has been used sparingly by boss Brendan Rodgers, both domestically and in the Champions League, and has become an integral part of the Celtic squad. But the Scot insists he DOESN’T feel under pressure to impress the Hoops gaffer and is delighted with the role he’s been given by Rodgers at his boyhood club. Ahead of today’s Premiership clash with St Johnstone, McCowan said: “I don’t feel pressure to make an impression or make an impact. I just play my game.
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“That’s what has helped me. I’m 27 years old now so I’m not inexperienced or someone that doesn’t know what I’m doing. When I come in, I know I need to play in the system. I don’t go searching for things, I just play my football and keep a level head.
“You can’t come on in a mood because you’re not playing. Because there are so many games and you just want to be part of it. So far, that approach has worked for me.”
Whenever McCowan has been given an opportunity this season, he’s caught the eye for Celtic. And he’s hoping that if he maintains his level of performance for the best team in the country - he’ll also get noticed by national team manager Steve Clarke. Scotland have a Nations League play-off double-header against Greece to look forward to and McCowan would love to be involved.
He said: “I hope it’s a possibility and if it comes along, great. It’s something that people have put out there but I need to just let my football do the talking. If the manager picks up the phone, so be it.
“It definitely helps that I’m part of a team which is full of international players. What will be will be - that’s what my Granny says! I just need to keep going and see what happens.”
Meanwhile, McCowan has expressed concerns about the VAR delays which he says are threatening to upset Celtic’s rhythm. During their 4-0 Boxing Day win over Motherwell there were several VAR stoppages during the 90 minutes. And the former Dundee playmaker says it’s not helping Rodgers’ side’s fluency.
Celtic benefited from VAR NOT getting involved in a penalty incident against Rangers in their recent League Cup Final victory but McCowan said: “It does bring a lot of delays, especially when teams come to Celtic Park.
“I felt it myself when I came here with Dundee. You want the game to be as fluent as possible and sometimes it isn’t, which is not great.
“That’s not just VAR at times, it can be how the referee manages the game. That’s the only downside to VAR, the delays. Sometimes I think it takes five or 10 minutes to put the telly on!
“It’s not my place to say whether it’s working or not. Everyone in the game has it now so we just need to go along with it. You just hope it gets the decisions right for football.”
