Hoops taught me to be winner .. I’ll bring that to party at Wembley
SAYS FRASER FORSTER
Life at Celtic didn’t just teach Fraser Forster how to win – it taught him to expect to win.
So when he walks up the Wembley tunnel this afternoon to face Manchester United, face Zlatan Ibrahimovic, face whatever Jose Mourinho can throw at him, there will be no inferiority complex. It’s no longer part of the keeper’s makeup to doubt. Instead there will be a steely determination to see through to its end an EFL Cup in which his side have excelled. Southampton haven’t conceded a single goal while seeing off Premier League opposition, including Arsenal and Liverpool, in each of the four rounds. Victory wouldn’t just be a reward for Forster and his team- mates though. It would be another stepping stone on an unwavering pathway of progress for Saints. He said: “At a club like Celtic people expect it of you – constantly. “You’re not just expected to win every competition – you’re expected to win every game on the way to winning every competition, which is a great pressure to have on you. “Here, not so much. But then if you look at where the club were six or seven years ago compared to where we are now, when we were coming out of administration, docked points, down in the second tier, this would be some achievement. It would be a reward for all the progress and all the work everyone has put in. Knowing the owner, chairman and
everyone else involved, how ambitious everyone is, it would be fantastic to win something for them and then kick on.
“That’s the thing about this club – they are never done. Winning would be great but it wouldn’t be the end of something, just another stepping stone.
”And yeah we’ll have expectations on ourselves – but we’ll still be underdogs.
“That doesn’t change the fact we’re going there to win it.
“All we can do is perform to the best of our abilities and if we do that we won’t look back with any regrets.”
His success at St Mary’s since an eightfigure move south in 2014, coupled with that of Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk – missing through injury – has, Forster believes, shifted views within the English top flight of the value of Scottish football in general and Celtic in particular.
The 28-year-old, only the second player to win an England cap while at Parkhead, said: “It maybe has changed the perception of what happens up the road, the way myself, Virgil and Victor have come down here and played.
“Look at that Celtic team just now too. There’s quality all over the pitch and you look at the experience they’re gaining all the time – it’s an attractive thing. The pressure of winning leagues, getting the job done, playing in the Champions League
groups,g not being able to lose – it gives you a great foundation.
“There’s fantastic quality and I still believe a lot of players up there could walk into teams down here.
“Very few players get to play in the Champions League down here and it gives you a real opportunity to show what you can do on a big stage.”
Few stages are bigger than Wembley, one he’s more familiar with than most of his team-mates after his half-dozen caps.
But individual success at Southampton comes a distant second to the ethos that binds the entire club together.
The minute you walk into the Markus Liebherr Pavilion at their Staplewood base the culture of the club is evident. From the academy kids to the secretaries to the gaffer, the air of unfailing support for each other is clear in every handshake, every “Good morning”, every table shared.
Forster said: “It has been like that since I walked through the door.
“You walk into a fantastic changing room full of great guys to start with.
“But then everyone in every other department treats you the same way, no matter whether you’re a first-team player or in the academy – it’s just what is expected of you at this club. It’s very different to a lot of places I’ve been and the principles behind it are so sound. They
have a set of values – they encourage manners, togetherness. It’s just different.”
Forster has plenty of imprints of success in his mind to call on if he’s looking for inspiration this afternoon.
The keeper left Parkhead having lifted three league trophies and two Scottish Cups and said: “I’ve got all the medals in the house but I’m not a big one for having the memorabilia out on show.
“I have a lot of shirts I collected from Champions League games as well and it’s nice every now and then to have a look.
“But I’m more about looking forward than looking back. I’m more interested in accumulating more of it rather than reflecting on what I already have. I’ll have plenty of time to do that when I stop.”
Forster may not have contemplated stopping but he did have to endure a pause when a broken kneecap in March 2015 took a 10-month chunk out of his career.
He’s back to full power but admitted the lay-off changed his outlook.
In his still thick Geordie accent he said: “Aye, I’m doing a degree in business management in my spare time through the Open University.
“I did an A level in economics at school and enjoyed it. I thought about that when I was injured and realised football’s not forever, so I’ve tried to get thinking about what I can do later.
“I had 10 months out and never doubted I would come back. But your priorities change a bit and your attitude adjusts to different things.”things.