I needed a change and hope it will lead to a Scotland recall, says former Celtic star Charlie Mulgrew

CHARLIE MULGREW put himself through some serious soul-searching during the summer.

The 30-year-old eventually decided he had to quit Scottish football because it no longer stimulated him.

He had been at Celtic for six years, and had enjoyed many highs, from winning five league titles to playing in the Champions League and sweeping the board at the Player of the Year awards in 2012.

Last season, because of injury, Mulgrew struggled to find any momentum, and frustration had been building inside him for 12 months.

It was becoming all too repetitive, and something had to give.

He knows he will never play for a bigger club than Celtic, and to an audience of more than 50,000 at every home game.

But he wanted to finally prove himself in England and, at 30, a move to Blackburn Rovers presented him with that opportunity.

Mulgrew had several offers to consider, but joined Owen Coyle’s team on a Bosman and signed a three-year contract.

Sitting at the Rovers training ground on the outskirts of the town, Mulgrew told The Sunday Post: “I felt I needed a change.

“I was going back and forth in my head during the summer in terms of: ‘Will I, won’t I?’ But the time was right.

“I look at someone such as Scott Brown and credit to him. He is now in his tenth year at Celtic, and he has everything he needs at the club.

“But I just wanted a bit of freshness.

“We were playing the same teams three or four times a season, sometimes more if you were drawn against each other in one of the cup competitions.

“And, of course, at Celtic you are expected to win every single game. There is a huge pressure that comes with that.

“It takes a special type of player to deal with it, and I loved that pressure, I thrived on it.

“I’ll never have a bad to word to say about Celtic or the supporters. It was a privilege for me to play in front of the fans.

“But I was there for six years in my second spell at the club, and I needed something different to get the best out of myself.

“I felt that sometimes it was a wee bit of struggle to get really up for some of the domestic games.

“Yet any time I played for Scotland, I was getting up for games without a problem.

“That triggered something that didn’t sit well with me. I’m a Celtic fan and I wanted to feel 100% for every single game.

“I recognised I had to do something about it for the sake of my own career.

“It was a difficult one, but the monotony just got to me.

“It was nothing to do with Celtic because it’s a massive club. It was more the environment I was playing in, and the need for a change away from the Scottish domestic game.

“To get the best out of myself, I felt I needed to test myself elsewhere. I wanted to prove to myself – and to other people – that I could play down in England.

“Sometimes the game in Scotland doesn’t get the respect it deserves from down south and that is ridiculous, really.

“The standard in Scotland is high and deserves credit for the football it produces as well as the fine managers, coaches and players.

“But this was probably my last chance to come back down here and I’m relishing every minute.

“I was at Wolves 10 years ago, but I was young and naive. I didn’t fully grasp the opportunity. Now I’m older and wiser.”

Mulgrew could have stayed at Celtic and been part of the success story under Brendan Rodgers. But even that wasn’t enough to stop him quitting.

But he refuses to rule out the opportunity of going back to the Hoops before he hangs up his boots.

Mulgrew continued: “I loved my time at Celtic. I grew up a Celtic fan and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity given to me by the club to play for them.

“You never know what might happen in the future. Maybe I will play for them again. From my point of view, I’d never rule that out.

“I’m delighted to see them doing so well under Brendan Rodgers. They’re absolutely flying.

“I haven’t missed a game when they’ve been live on the telly, and I took my two sons to see them playing against Manchester City at the Etihad in the Champions League.

“I really hope they can go on and win the Treble this season.

“I’m still in touch with a few of the boys, and I’m particularly delighted to see James Forrest in such excellent form.

“He has great ability, but the previous manager never quite got the arm around him and that’s what James needed.

“Brendan Rodgers has identified that and worked with James. That’s what makes a good boss.

“It’s the same with Stuart Armstrong. I could see when he arrived at the club that he had talent. He trained well and has the potential to go far in the game.

“Again, with him, you put an arm around him and you see what you get in return.”

Mulgrew’s main focus is on helping Rovers climb the Championship table away from the threat of relegation.

Ewood Park gaffer Coyle and his backroom staff have been delighted with the player’s contribution, and regard him as one of the top players in England’s second tier.

Mulgrew said: “I’m delighted to be playing for Blackburn Rovers. We have a great manager and we are all ambitious.

“I’ve moved my family down here because that makes life easier. We wanted to be together and there was no point coming down here and being half-hearted about it by commuting up and down the road.

“For me, it had to be all or nothing.

“We got off to bad a start, and the first half of the season wasn’t good enough. But we’ve picked up and things are now much more positive.

“We’re a confident group and we believe we can do well.

“I played a few games in the middle of the park and that was good. But I’m now playing at centre-back and I prefer that. Hopefully I can stay there.

“I’m tested in every game because there are a lot of quality players in this league. The standard is very high and you need to be fully concentrated.

“If you switch off for a second, you will be punished.”

Although Mulgrew played in the summer friendlies against Italy and France, he hasn’t featured in the troubled World Cup qualifying campaign to date.

He hopes that might change soon, with his switch to central defence a potential factor.

Mulgrew admitted: “I hope my club form gets noticed by Gordon Strachan. I love playing for Scotland and I’m desperate to be involved.

“I will play for my country until I am told otherwise.

“And playing in central defence for Blackburn might just give me a better chance of getting into the starting line-up for Scotland.”