Hotel, museum and shop plan at Celtic Park
Forrest says it’s time for Scots to call on Armstrong
CELTIC have unveiled blueprints to build a major hotel development next to its stadium in a move that will help shore up the promised Glasgow 2014 legacy.
The development, which will also include a retail store, ticketing facility and museum, would provide a much-needed boost to the neighbouring Emirates Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in attracting major sporting events.
There have been concerns the £100million-plus venues are at a disadvantage to similar schemes in London, Birmingham or Manchester due to their distance from the centre, poor transport links and, crucially, the lack of hotel beds in the vicinity.
One senior source involved in attracting major events to the city described the move as “unalloyed good news”.
They said: “If this comes to fruition it will go straight to the top of the bid book.
“So far we’ve not had any situations where we have lost events due to the accommodation issues but this will make everything much easier in terms of attracting events.
“The sporting federations, be that UK Athletics or UK or Scottish Cycling, will also see this as brilliant news.”
The club said the bid was part of its “long-standing” local masterplan for the area which would help supporters and allow further regeneration of the East End. But a statement added: “The application is just the first stage and a lot of work was needed over the coming years to make it happen.
“There would be a number of challenges to overcome to complete a development of this scale.
“Celtic aims to be a world-class football club in everything it does.
“We are pleased to have made significant investment in recent years to develop the stadium and public realm area for the benefit of our supporters.
“Any further development of this kind would be a hugely positive step for the club, for our supporters and for the local community.”
Previous plans for a £44m hotel development on a site facing Celtic Park were shelved in 2013.
It has previously been reported that Celtic have been considering a 200-room, four-star facility on the site of the club’s ticket office, partly funded by this season’s £30m bonanza from reaching the Champions League.
JAMES FORREST believes that Stuart Armstrong has done enough to earn a call up into Gordon Strachan’s squad for the Fifa World Cup qualifier against Slovenia at Hampden next month.
Armstrong has been called into the senior Scotland squad but has yet to be capped at that level for Gordon Strachan’s side.
The 24-year-old made his return during Celtic’s weekend win over Motherwell after a month on the sidelines because of a hamstring injury but after a slow start to life at the club under Brendan Rodgers, Armstrong has been pivotal to the Parkhead side’s midfield this term.
Arguably one of the most improved players at the club, the former Dundee United midfielder has netted nine goals so far this season but his all-round athleticism and energy have been in keeping with the highintensity, pressing game that Rodgers likes to play.
And Forrest believes that his team-mates performances will not have gone unnoticed by Strachan.
“I think he has done enough, yeah,” said Forrest. “He has become one of the really important players for us this season and it shows you that if you work hard that the manager will give you your chance.
“He has done so well and been in amongst the goals too. I am sure that he will definitely have given the Scotland manager something to think about because he has been producing performances at the very top level for us this season.
“We have some important qualifiers coming up, Slovenia and then England in June, and it is always good to have players who are on-form in there. It is obviously up to the manager to pick the best team but it would be nice to see Stuart in there.”
Meanwhile, Celtic host Hamilton Accies this weekend with Forrest insisting that there will be no let up from the Parkhead side.
The Hoops have established an unassailable 24-point lead at the top of the table as they chase their 21st consecutive league win this season.
In doing so they have scored 67 goals as they amble towards their sixth successive title and Forrest sees no reason why Celtic will take their foot off the pedal.
Martin O’Neill’s team netted 105 goals in season 2003-04, the same season that they established a winning streak of 25 league games, and Forrest would like the chance to pen his name into the history books.
“At the minute it is about playing a certain way and then the manager says that everything else looks after itself,” said Forrest. “But it is nice to be part of a team that is playing so well.
“I think confidence is the key for everyone. We feel good in ourselves as players and then as a team there is a feeling that Stuart Armstrong has been tipped for a Scotland call-up by his Celtic team-mate James Forrest we are capable of going up against anyone. We have that belief every time we step out onto the park. But there is no way that we will think about taking anything for granted before the end of the season.
“I think if your attitude is not right then the performance is not right. So for us it is about playing every game with the same tempo and the same level.”
RODGERS has been forthright about implementing a plan that is not just about this season, but in setting the foundations for the longterm at the club.
Celtic had a taste of Champions League football again this season, their first involvement in the prestigious tournament for three years, and it is in that environment where Rodgers
He has done so well and been in amongst the goals too. I am sure that he will definitely have given the Scotland manager something to think about because he has been producing performances at the very top level for us
wants his team to be testing themselves against the best.
Maintaining that level of performance domestically when there is little tension in games is the challenge, but Forrest can appreciate the bigger picture.
“Every training session is different and we train with the same intensity that we are playing,” he explained. “The manager wants us at the same level all the time and it is because he wants to create the best team possible here.
“I think you can see already that we look like a strong team. But we all know that there isn’t anything handed out at this stage of the season.
“We still have to keep working and keep pressing. We want to win as many games as we possibly can. We don’t really think about the records or anything like that and nobody talks about a Treble, it is just about winning every game.
“Hamilton Accies always tend to make it quite tough for us so we know on Saturday we need to play our best.”
THE Celtic Park turf looks set to be replaced by a desso hybrid surface this summer after Rodgers voiced his concern about the difficulties of playing the type of football he wants his team to produce on it.
“We just need to get on with it,” he said. “It will be the same for both teams so it isn’t something that we’ll worry about.”