Reborn Forrest pinpoints the Rodgers effect
UNFIT, unhappy and facing a hugely uncertain future, James Forrest’s predicament two years ago came to mirror that of the only club he’d ever known.
Despite the clinching of a fifth league title, the latter days of Ronny Deila’s reign were rarely a source of joy for the Ayrshireman.
Appearing as a half-time substitute against Dundee in March 2016, little did the winger know he would spend the subsequent 12 games of the season either injured or warming the bench.
Despite his later statements to the contrary, it was impossible not to see Forrest drifting out of the door when his contract expired that summer.
Aside from the four trophies accrued to date, the upturn in Forrest’s fortunes has, arguably, been the strong suit of Brendan Rodgers’ tenure.
To similar degrees, Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong were also punching below their weight prior to the Northern Irishman’s arrival.
But, like Forrest, they have been completely reborn.
The rewards for the winger have taken many forms beyond the four winner’s medals he placed in an ever-growing collection. A 12th major honour gained in November’s Betfred Cup final put him 15th in Celtic’s all-time most-decorated list.
A nomination for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award would have been unthinkable two years back.
‘It shows that you are respected by other players in the league and shows you have been consistent all season,’ said the 26-year-old.
‘The guys you are playing against have taken note of what you have been doing all season.’
It’s been impossible to miss him. Forrest’s persecution of full-backs over the past ten months has bordered on a form of cruelty.
Sixteen goals from the flank, two more than he managed in three previous seasons combined, have underscored what Rodgers has meant to him.
‘We’d won five in a row before the manager came in but he’s just taken things to a different level,’ explained Forrest.
‘He’s stressed the need for hard work from day one and,
especially for the forwards, he said that we wouldn’t be at the club if we didn’t have ability.
‘If we put in a shift and work hard, then the goals will take care of themselves.
‘Plus he allows the front men to play with freedom and that’s good for everyone.’
There’s no reason to doubt Celtic fan Forrest when he insists he never had any desire to leave the club. But so peripheral had he become in 2016 that there seemed no other possible outcome.
‘Football changes so quickly and you can see that in other people’s careers,’ he said. ‘But I always wanted to stay here and I had that discussion when the new manager came in.
‘I worked hard and had a good pre-season and once I got my new contract signed and out of the way, it was a huge relief.’
Doubtless, that need to privately contemplate life without Celtic makes him appreciate what he has all the more. Joining the likes of Billy McNeill and Paul McStay as one of the great one-club men now figures in his thinking.
‘Nowadays it’s less common
for players to stay with the same club for their whole career but I’ve been here since I was a wee boy and I know how big a club Celtic is,’ he said.
‘You need to keep at it because Celtic don’t stand still — they spend money on players and everyone is replaceable.
‘But I want to be here for as long as I possibly can.’
Before Forrest dons a dinner suit for Sunday evening’s gala awards ceremony at a city hotel, there’s the small matter of Rangers at Celtic Park.
What the authorities hoped would be a low-key game by Old Firm standards is now a high-stakes affair.
A win for Rodgers’ men will see them crowned champions while playing Rangers for the first time since 1979.
If the meeting in the Scottish Cup at Hampden two weeks ago has any bearing, Rangers won’t be popping any celebratory balloons. Rodgers’ task is to ensure that complacency is the enemy and ensure his players live in the here and now.
‘The manager is on us every day in training to make sure the standard is high,’ said Forrest.
‘We need to make sure we are not complacent because every Old Firm game is hard.’
Come Sunday evening, the Forrest household may even be toasting a unique treble.
On Saturday, younger brother Alan will try to help Ayr United beat Albion Rovers — while hoping Raith Rovers hand them the League One title by choking at home to Alloa.
‘My dad’s been saying that for the last few weeks (how unusual it would be for both of them to win titles) but Ayr have lost their last two games and it is out of their hands,’ said Forrest.
‘It would be good if they can do it but if not they have the play-offs.’
If Ayr get there by hook or by crook, the advice from the elder Forrest sibling will be to savour every last second.
Having known football’s fickle fates all too well, there is not a chance the steady accumulation of medals will ever become purely a matter of routine.
‘I have my medals on display,’ said Forrest. ‘You take them for granted when you’re younger but when you get older, you become hungrier for more.’