James Forrest

James Forrest insists the key to Celtic’s domination of Scottish football has been the Hoops remaining HUMBLE.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are on the brink of another title which would see the winger become the outright most decorated player in the club’s history


And it looked like that honour would be bagged without kicking a ball yesterday as 10-man Rangers trailed 2-1 at Pittodrie only to salvage a point through Ianis Hagi’s 95th minute strike. That leaves Celtic, who battered Kilmarnock 5-1 on Saturday, sitting 15 points clear of their rivals with five games remaining and boasting a far superior goal difference.


The Hoops will be crowned champions again if they avoid defeat in their next Premiership outing. That would be title number 13 for Forrest, taking his major trophy haul to a staggering 26 and one clear of Lisbon Lions legend Bobby Lennox.

And the modest 33-year-old said: “It’s unbelievable. It's nice personally hearing about milestones but I think it's because I’ve been part of such a really good team over the years, a really good squad, players, staff. It's been really good to be involved and play a small part in that

“The changing room has always been good. We've got a real good core and the players that come in, they buy into it pretty quickly. When you go to away games and the players see the fans, I think that's a big one.

“Everyone's really humble, the way the coaches are as well. If we win a game, if we win a trophy, you can celebrate it but you want to do it again and you want to keep going.


“No one's ever really got complacent or thought they're the big deal after winning any trophy. I feel as though that's been the case through the years.


“In football it can change game to game. If you feel as though you had a good game and start swanning about, I think the fans, players, staff, everyone will bring you back down. You need to be like that. You need to keep working hard to get the moments, to lift the trophies and win cups and win leagues.”

Forrest still has a year left on his contract but knows the day he has to call it quits at Parkhead is edging closer. That’s why he appreciates every moment and every step towards success like it might be his last. He said: “Whenever you win any cup or any league for Celtic, it's unbelievable.

Obviously for me as well, getting older at the latter stages of my career, just trying to cherish every time I'm out on the pitch or training, I’m just really trying to enjoy it because I know it's a short period and maybe the last year or two I have really thought about that.

“So I'll be delighted once we finally get it done. But we know we need to play like we did on Saturday again to make sure we do it sooner rather than later.

It would have been party time at Parkhead after Saturday’s dismantling of Kilmarnock had Celtic not slipped up against St Johnstone a week earlier


Instead the champagne remains on ice until after the split. But should the next round of fixtures be kind and hand the Hoops a home game and chance to wrap up the championship in front of their own fans then Forrest reckons that would be the prefect scenario.

The Parkhead icon said: “It was disappointing last week losing because we could have done it on Saturday and I think it would have been bouncing. I’m sure it would have been amazing.


There’s a few boys that haven't won the league at home. Hopefully we get it done and we will get to celebrate it at the right time.

 

See in terms of being technically proficient, decision making, link up etc he’s still our best winger imo and I have said as much for a while. Doesn’t have that electric pace like when he first broke in but he’s so clever coming in the pitch now it negates it.

 

Yeah, he still has a fair bit to offer. Serious injuries in recent seasons have curtailed his impact massively, which is why he isn't held in as high esteem as he probably should be, amongst the wider support.

 

Actually think the last few seasons a lot have seen his value, despite the odd stretch out injured.

 

More than earned his starting place for the next game.

 

Superb as always Jamesy bhoy

 

Really hope he gets a goal to help clinch the league

 

Evergreen Jamesy. What a player he has been for Celtic over the long years. Deservedly ahead of Kuhn, who has checked out long time ago.

 

I say it all the time but his use of the ball in his latter years is incredible..

So, so good on it now. Still has a wee burst as well but it's the pockets he picks up and his lay offs and link ups....all there..

He'll deffo get that goal..

I appreciate him way more last couple years than I ever did before..

 

Not just his latter years, even when he was young and electrically fast. His ball retention for a winger is insane, the difference is it’s more obvious now because he isn’t as electric and he knows it. So he picks his moments rather than banking on his pace will be enough when it was maybe not on when he was younger, but that was in domestic games that. In Europe, when he knows we couldn’t be affording to lose the ball needlessly he has always been insanely good at it. Especially for a winger. I genuinely haven’t seen another winger ever for us that would keep possession like he does, the closest is probably Maloney when he was on the left. It’s an unusual quality for a winger, who are the part of a team that you expect to usually see being the guys that give away possession the most in the team just the nature of the job.


I’ve always been a massive fan of his, and it’s always annoyed me that weirdly there’s always been a bit of a… disconnect from the support with him, but think even with me and his injury at a key point of the season this year and him coming back in, I forgot just how impactful and just clever a footballer he can be. Because all my talk about ball retention and safe on the ball, the most important thing is with it it’s not keeping it safe play and shirking responsibility, it is so purposeful, always in a way that moves defenders, keeps pressure on, exposes space in packed defences and is so * intelligent.

It’s starkly different to Kuhn. Who I’d say is a lot more talented but he doesn’t have that football IQ. Forrest coming backs just a small reminder of just why he had been so impactful over 16 * seasons now.


When time is called on his career, we’ll reflect back, and then we’ll realise just what he’s done over his time and it is insanely special. People were confused when Ange extended his contract. Think it’s obvious why now. And thank * he did

 

Aye his first touch has always been top class for me. But he was a lot more head down amd going at his man due to his rapid speed..

As you say, he knows he hasn't got that regularly now so is a lot more clever with it, which also comes with experience i suppose..

He just really doesn't ever let us down and always makes things happen. There used to be plenty times when he would go missing ir have mares but now? Never really..

He's definitely one of our best players in terms of keeping safe possession and no being loose/squandering it daft..

I was one who didn’t want it extended. I'm glad it was, he was excellent that end of season before it was renewed if I remember right and has been anytime he's played since..

 

Aye I love the way he's adapted his game now, he's actually a lot more tricky and skillful going forward than he was when he was younger, which makes sense considering how rapid he was back then.

More than happy to have him as a rotational option for another year.

 

Rodgers was so instrumental for him. That invincible season he turned him into something else. He made him maybe sacrifice a small bit of his pace to build up muscle, and I can remember a rare interview of Forrest saying Rodgers changed him his first training session by saying you are always allowed a poor game, you aren’t allowed a game on the periphery. You can be poor on the ball, but you’re taking part in working and effecting off the ball. And the was an insane difference.

Mind before Rodgers how much he would stop feeling hard done by and put his arms up for a foul, from the minute BR came in that stopped. And he got him thinking about the more unglamorous part of the game to such an extent his best game ever for us might have been him at RWB against Bayern Munich. We lost 2-1, but he destroyed them, and didn’t once let them expose his side of the pitch.

BR as a coach, and I think particularly with wingers is unmatched as a Celtic manager, and one of the best managers in the world for it. I’ve said it many times, BR is so, so close to the very top level managers with a few glaring weaknesses that has held that back for

 

He knows he has a burst of pace in him still but hasn’t over a distance, so he makes players get in a position he can use the burst. He didn’t bother about that before, he just thought good chance he was quicker and didn’t need to

 

Aye he definitely upped it under him. City home game he was torturing them as well..

Bayern him and McGregor were class that night but just undone. We were better that night against them than we were at home this season with the same scorelines..

We're definitely in good hands. No perfect but as close to as possible..

 

It was a shame that we had to play Bitton at CB that game, he done so well as he could possibly do, but him not being a CB done us. That game took me a long time to get over, because it was one of our best performances in the Champions League I’ve seen. Bayern just had quality.

I was at it, and it was the first I’d realised just how much guys at Bayern level are freaks, because watching Coman that night nobody should be able to move like that. He doesn’t even accelerate, he was a standing start to full pace with no inbetween.

 

Great time for Forrest, just so good on the ball, rarely gives it away.
Ahead of Khun right now.
Is his contract up at end of this season?