James Forrest

That performance a few seasons ago against Bayern Munich was top notch! Hes just not consistant enough. But im not gonni sit and slate him just now, he hasnt been part of the Pish we have endured all season. Boy literally just wants to play for Celtic his whole career, and right here right now that is someone we need in and about squad.

 

Easier to want to play for Celtic your whole career when you consistently don't perform at a high enough standard in the toughest fixtures (Europe & Sevco) meaning no decent team in any top league is ever going to be seriously interested in your services, unlike Tierney for example who consistently shone in Europe & Sevco fixtures at a young age, hence why teams like Arsenal make a move.

 

Back training according to the manager. In what capacity/level of intensity though is another thing.

Been badly missed.

 

I am not saying we would be winning the league with him in the team this season however, we would certainly have been better as an attacking force as he does provide the width we have so badly missed this season

 

Mentalist.

Forrest, on his game, is a very good player. But he regularly has barren spells where he does * all for weeks on end.

 

Celtic winger James Forrest has returned to training after a long injury lay-off.

Neil Lennon said the 29-year-old’s return would represent a “welcome boost” for his side, who currently trail league leaders Rangers by 21 points.

It has been more than four months since the Scotland international last played.

However, Wednesday night’s game against St Mirren will come to early for Forrest.

Lennon said: “James Forrest is back in training but obviously tomorrow night is too soon for him. So that’s a welcome boost to the squad.

 

We’ve missed him all season but he’s actually not got a position in our best formation.

We’ll crowbar him in though.

 

Would have said that before Rodgers came in but the guys goals and assists for last 4 season s for a winger have been outstanding, there definitely is games that hes quiet in same with most players but more often than not hes been excellent for us

 

Saying he doesn’t perform in Europe he scored the goal that got us to champions league v karagandy- scored the first goal in lazio scored in Norway v Rosenberg to get us through after drawing 0-0 , also big games he scored in14/15 league cup final 16/17 league cup final and 17/18 league cup final- cannot think of a winger with the amount of goals and assists Forrest has

 

Whilst this can be true, from Rodgers first season even when he wasn’t scoring or assisting, he was keeping the ball, was helping us see games out, closing down space and covering his full back.

Whilst also assisting and scoring double figures. He was a massive part of our winning mentality and we’ve missed that probably more than the numbers he was posting for us.

And we’ve missed that part of his game massively as well.

 

He's got 1 goal in Europe from open play after the Qualifiers from about 50 odd games, he's overall a poor player in Europe, Sevco fixtures & with Scotland, the reason for that being that he's a very limited player against tougher opposition who is by & large easily nullified. He's had the odd good performance in those games, but they're few & far between.

Against opposition of Aberdeen standard & below he's excellent, hence why he's got plenty of goals & assists against them, like you said he's also scored big goals in cup finals, against teams of Aberdeen standard & below though as I've said, he's no problem in those games. It's when he steps up in Europe, Sevco & Scotland fixtures he becomes easily nullified & ineffective all too often.

We need to look for a far more effective RW in those games going forward next season because Forrest has proven on countless occasions he's not up to the job consistently enough in Europe & Sevco fixtures.

Plus being 30 he won't have the pace he used to have either & without his pace, he has no other tricks up his sleeve to beat a man.

 

@RogicHasMagicToes I agree that he should score more at that level but that’s not the full story.

Best I’ve seen him in Europe was against Bayern. At RWB.

Him being able to play there should tell you how much he’s evolved as a player. 2012 against Barca, Alba scored a late winner when he didn’t track him. That’s not what he’d do as a more experienced player. His ball retention in Europe, as a winger, is ridiculous. Under Rodgers him in Brown were in the top 5 for it, the first season.

That’s unheard of from a winger. And something we really struggle to do under pressure, he doesn’t and it can be a * send.

 

I've seen him give away possession countless times in high pressure games against tougher opposition, he ain't confident on the ball at that level, his decision making is usually poor against tougher opposition, last season against Copenhagen, both games, his passing & decision making was shocking, against the huns in the cup final, he gifted them possession under little pressure which led to their penalty & us going down to 10 men.

I don't rate him in Europe & Sevco fixtures, I've seen enough of him over the last decade to make my mind up on that, he's consistently excellent against opposition the standard of Aberdeen & below, not just goals & assists wise but also performance wise, but he struggles far too often in the tougher fixtures, the Bayern game you're right he was outstanding, he he should have had at least two assists that night because he put a cross on a plate for Armstrong who fluffed it, but that was a rare performance from him at that level, we need better consistently from that position going forward.

I'd still play him regularly domestically, would just leave him on the bench for Europe & Sevco fixtures, I think that's a fair assessment.

 

It’s a harsh one for me, I think in the last 4 years or so he’s one of the only players who’s cool under pressure at that level. Brown and McGregor being the others. And annoyingly Ntcham but henwas too * calm and could put us in trouble because of that.

I think there’s been two versions of Forrest for us, the team player and the explosive one that could look unbeatable 1 in 5 games.

The team player one has scored more and set up more as well, but the younger version could look better at times.

Either way, even if any of us think we need better (and we should always be looking for better players than the ones we have anyway) he’s an asset to us on the pitch.

 

IT would be quite wrong to suggest that familiarity has bred contempt over the years when it comes to Celtic supporters and James Forrest.

The winger, an ever-present during the Parkhead club’s unprecedented spell of domestic dominance, is widely admired and respected by fans. He is, with no fewer than 19 major honours to his name, well on his way to becoming one of their all-time greats.

Had some of them, though, perhaps started to take Forrest’s efforts for granted somewhat before he picked up his injury last year? When a player features as regularly and performs as consistently as the Scotland internationalist it is inevitable that his contribution to their cause becomes overlooked a little.


Neil Lennon, who is hoping to name the wide man in his squad for the first time in nearly five months tomorrow afternoon, suspects that maybe a few onlookers did fail to fully appreciate his worth. "You could say that, yeah," he said as he looked ahead to the league meeting with St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.


However, if any of Celtic’s followers were ambivalent about the 29-year-old before the 2020/21 campaign got underway back in August they won’t be now; they have performed woefully in the Premiership, bombed in the Europa League and been turfed out of the Betfred Cup in his absence.

Many factors have contributed to their annus horribilis; the Covid-19 pandemic, not having any fans inside stadiums, match cancellations, the failure of big money signings to settle and shine and positive coronavirus tests have all taken their toll.


But would their bid to make Scottish football history by completing 10-In-A-Row have failed so spectacularly had Forrest been available? His experience and ability would surely have proved invaluable.

Would things have worked out differently if Forrest hadn’t suffered a serious ankle injury that required surgery in November? Lennon is in no doubt they would have. "Absolutely, no question,” he said. “He is a top player, a top boy and he loves the club.”


The Northern Irishman, whose side is 18 points behind Rangers in the top flight with a game in hand, has certainly been pleased to see the Ayrshireman, who limped off against Riga in Latvia back in September, involved at Lennoxtown once again in recent days.


He was training Monday and Tuesday and he went to see a specialist on Wednesday,” he said. “We were hoping for the all-clear. We may have him in the squad for the weekend.

“We have missed him, there's no question of that. Any team would miss a player of that quality. His contribution to this club has been unbelievable, magnificent. That has certainly been the case in my time since coming back.”

Forrest, like all wingers, has been prone to occasional dips in form over the years. He has games where he frustrates onlookers and fails to make any significant impact. He certainly has his detractors among the Celtic support. But Lennon knows his value to his side.


"Before the lockdown last year he was up to 16 goals,” he said. “He probably had as many assists as well. He's been doing that consistently for the best part of six or seven years.”




Forrest, who has played in the Celtic first team for 11 seasons solid now, turns 30 in the summer. Can he continue to perform at the level he has been for over a decade in the years to come? His position requires explosive pace and good close control and those attributes wane over time.

But Lennon is confident he can continue to be a big player for Celtic. He has certainly sensed his disappointment at not being involved and his eagerness to get back on the pitch. “He's had a stellar career so far and I think there's a lot more to come from him," he said.

“We had the lockdown so there were two months of resting and that would have been more than enough for him. This has been a real hammer blow for him mentally. It's such a significant season and he's contributed in all the other seasons.





Forrest, who will be hoping to get a run of games between now and May and secure his place in the Scotland squad for the Euro 2020 finals in the summer, may not have the same high profile as some of his team mates despite the length of time he has spent in the Celtic side and the silverware he has helped them accumulate.

But Lennon believes he is just as important to the Glasgow club as Scott Brown, Odsonne Edouard or Leigh Griffiths and is excited about the prospect of him taking to the field once again, either tomorrow in Perth or elsewhere in the coming weeks.

“He's one of those kids who doesn't go on social media, doesn't court public opinion,” he said. “He’s a bit like Callum McGregor. They just come in and play football, they're natural born footballers.

“He just loves playing football. He will have been missing playing more than anyone. We have missed him around the place and certainly missed him on the pitch so it's great to have him back."

 

What ever people's opinions of him this is a BIG + for our team. Having him back can only be a good thing

 

Sometimes feel the criticism of Forrest is really unfair. For me, he is probably our best player. He make something out of nothing. He unlock defences, he is quick, he can score, he can assist and puts a shift in. Cannot wait for him to come back, think we really have missed him. I think frimpong really felt the absence of Forrest too. We might have seen a better frimpong with Forrest ahead of him

 

I hope he hasn't lost a yard of his pace..

He actually looked to have lost half a yard just before his injury. Although he was playing with an injury to be fair..

There's no doubt we'd have racked up another 4-6 point's at least if we had him fit this season for me..

 

Most games he either score or assists , puts a teams left back and left mid 10 yards further back also where as with what we have just now teams lbs and lms are getting forwatd more as theres no danger to worry about from thats side