I’ve never wanted to leave... I love playing with the pressure that comes with being at Celtic
Evergreen Forrest says there is lots more for him to achieve in Paradise
TAKEN in isolation, Thursday’s announcement of a new three-year contract for James Forrest seemed a somewhat generous commitment to a player whose on-field influence has waned. Just a day later, as the departures of Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton were confirmed, it all started to make perfect sense.
In a summer of squad renewal, Ange Postecoglou has clearly decided it would be unwise to throw the baby-faced winger out with the bath water.
Approaching his 31st birthday, Forrest is now a senior member of the squad, a one-club man who takes a low-key approach to his work yet recognises the increased responsibilities that come with age.
When new, younger, players like Matt O’Riley and Liel Abada have entered the inner sanctum this term, Forrest has made it his duty to be a friendly, welcoming voice.
And, quite pointedly, he explains that he still has something to offer the team, too.
Injury has restricted his game time, yet in the season passed he has still turned in some defining moments. His winning goal in the League Cup semi-final was a genuine breakthrough moment not only in a stuffy cup tie against holders St Johnstone but in the wider context of the season.
Similarly, his clinching
I’ve three years... I want to work towards being here as long as possible
goal away to Livingston made sure of a crucial Premiership victory in March at a venue where even Brendan Rodgers failed to secure a Premiership win.
It was under Rodgers that Forrest finally fulfilled his potential as a Celtic player, but not before an anxious wait to see if the incoming boss would award him a new contract in 2016.
Six years on from his debut, Forrest’s Celtic career was listing until the Northern Irishman’s galvanising effect on the club swept the winger toward new heights.
‘That summer was the closest I came to leaving,’ he reflects. ‘I was down to the last six months of my contract and hadn’t been sure who the new manager was going to be.
‘I spoke with Rodgers the first week. We got something done pretty quick and I kicked on.
‘I have never wanted to leave, I’ve never thought about playing somewhere else.
‘It’s good for me and the club that we have the next three years. I just want to work towards being here as long as possibly can.’
Although he’s struggled to replicate some of the explosive performances that saw him hog Scotland’s Player of the Year awards in 2019, Forrest insists his body retains the capacity to match his ever-youthful appearance.
Meeting the physical demands made by Postecoglou is no easy task even for the younger players. The persistent, high-press football imposed by the Australian coach took its toll on the likes of David
Turnbull and new signings Jota and Kyogo Furuhashi, who all missed chunks of the season through injuries. Others have necessarily flitted in and out of the team.
Disregard their shared nationality and it was obvious that Rogic never really fitted the Ange template. A gifted ball player who honed his technique as he mastered the intricacies of futsal, Rogic has never been renowned for his stamina or running power.
Likewise Bitton, whose languid style can inject calm into midfield yet is never likely to match the high-pressing tempo demanded by the coach.
There are those who suspect Forrest, too, is at a stage in his career where he is unable to meet the demands of Postecoglou’s coaching but perhaps it would be wise to wait until he has a full pre-season before passing judgment.
‘I’m going to be 31 in July but I still feel good,’ says Forrest, who pocketed the 20th winner’s medal of his career during yesterday’s Premiership trophy day celebrations. ‘I train every day and the manager and the new players have kept it fresh.
‘I feel I can still make an impact. That’s another big thing for me — I want to play under the pressure that Celtic brings.
‘When I’ve been available, I have managed to get involved and make a contribution. I still want to contribute and make that impact and I have done that at times this season.
‘I have loved every minute of this season
because of the style of play the manager likes. He has been a huge part in this. He wanted me to stay and we had a good chat about it.’
While it fell to Callum McGregor to fill the void left by Celtic’s longserving captain Scott Brown last year, Forrest has also felt a duty to assume some of those senior duties. Postecoglou’s rebuild has involved a massive influx of players over two transfer windows and there will be more to follow this summer. ‘I always remember watching Broony and how he would welcome new signings,’ says Forrest. ‘He was so good with them and you could see how much it helped them coming into the changing room. ‘Players play better when they are settled and feel welcome and it’s up to the senior players to help.
‘This season we had the Japanese boys coming in, some young players too, and we had the core group of older players to help them settle.
‘They’ve been here for a year now, so the squad is quite tight. And I think it will only get better.
‘We have a good group now, everyone talks and I think you see that out on the pitch.
‘I’m really close with Tom and Niro and while it’s sad to see them go, they leave on a high. Tom has been here nine-and-a-half years. Niro nine.
‘It’s a credit to them, both foreign boys who came here at a young age and had to adapt.’
Adaptation may be part of Forrest’s job if he is to remain an effective contributor for the duration of his new contract. Predominantly deployed as a right winger through his career, his technique remains among the very best in the country yet he will struggle to keep pace with younger speed merchants like Jota and Abada as time ticks on.
Postecoglou’s predecessor Neil Lennon spoke of Forrest moving inside to a No10 role as he got older and would frequently deploy him as a wing-back, a role he filled on his last Scotland start against the Netherlands almost a year ago.
‘Throughout my career I have played different positions, so I’ve had to modify my game at times,’ he
says. ‘But I still feel sharp doing what I do now.
‘There are a lot of quick boys here but I don’t need to drop back just yet! If I need to change up, then I know I can do that. I want to keep playing as long as I can.
‘If changing position helps me do that, then I won’t be against it.’
Forrest hasn’t featured in a Scotland squad since the Euros and his lack of recent game time will probably rule him out of Steve Clarke’s plans for the forthcoming World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine.
Nevertheless, he retains
international ambitions.
‘The experience of being at the Euros last summer was so good,’ he enthuses. ‘Even the friendlies before it — we played against Holland and there was just a real buzz.
‘I would love to get back in there but I know you need to be fit and performing. If I get called up, I will get more training time, if not I will have time to get right for pre-season with Celtic.
‘Either way, I will have a good summer. It’s something I will be looking to from the start of next season. Hopefully by then we’ll have qualified for the World Cup.’
On Friday, Brown’s appointment as the new manager of Fleetwood Town was confirmed. Watching his old captain branch out into management gave Forrest pause for thought — and prompted a surprising admission that he may yet pursue a coaching path himself.
‘That’s something I had never considered but recently I’ve started to think about it,’ he says. ‘At some point, I will stop playing but I do love football and it is all I know. So I would like to try coaching.
‘I would like to give it a go, just to try and stay in the game.’
We have a good group now, everyone talks, and you see that out on the pitch