FORSTER IS GIVEN NOD FOR BRAZIL
Shilton’s words ring hollow as Celtic star wins call-up
HIS record-breaking season in Scotland was famously derided by England legend Peter Shilton as merely ‘ standing between t he sticks and having very little to do’. Fraser Forster was also urged by the two- time European Cup winner, who reached the semi-finals of World Cup Italia ’90 with the Three Lions, to quit Scottish football for the sake of his international career.
But Neil Lennon’s outstanding goalkeeper had the last laugh yesterday when his selection by Roy Hodgson made him the first Celtic player to make an England squad for the World Cup Finals.
Being named alongside Manchester City’s Joe Hart and West Bromwich Albion’s Ben Foster in Hodgson’s 23-man squad for Brazil is a fitting reward for a player who has excelled in the Champions League for the Parkhead club, as well as shattering former Aberdeen keeper Bobby Clark’s 1971 record by not conceding in 1,256 minutes of football this season. The delighted 26-year-old was last night bombarded with messages of goodwill on Twitter from fans and team-mates past and present, including Norwich City’s Gary Hooper, Crystal Palace’s Joe Ledley and Celtic Park colleague Charlie Mulgrew.
A gleeful Forster replied: ‘ Thank you f or all t he messages! Delighted to be part of the England World Cup squad.’
Last November, when he made his debut against Chile, the former Newcastle and Norwich keeper became the first player from the Scottish top flight to be selected for the English national team since Sven- Goran Eriksson started Parkhead midfielder Alan Thompson in the 1-0 loss to Sweden in Gothenburg in 2004. Thompson lasted an hour before being replaced by Alan Smith and was never called up again.
Last night, former Celtic keeper Rab Douglas, an ex team-mate of Thompson’s, hailed Forster’s call-up as ‘well deserved’ — as well as representing great news for Scottish football as a whole.
A 2003 UEFA Cup finalist with Celtic, Douglas believes the 6ft 7ins Englishman’s displays for Celtic in the Champions League — which saw him nicknamed ‘ La Gran Muralla’ (The Great Wall) by the Catalan Press after the famous 2-1 win over Barcelona — gave Forster the edge over other rivals down south.
‘It’s fantastic for Fraser to get this call-up but it’s also great for the Scottish game because there have been a lot of disparaging comments made about our game,’ said the 42-year-old.
‘But this is a sign that the Scottish game i s being noticed by people who matter, while the trail of Scots heading south suggests our game is in a good state.
‘I’m quite sure Ben Foster will have his eyes on being deputy to Joe Hart, but Fraser’s a top- class keeper. His displays at the highest level in Europe have got him noticed and I think deservedly earned him the nod over others i n the English Premier League.’
Forster joined Celtic on loan from Newcastle United in 2010, winning the Scottish Cup and the first of what would become three league titles before making the move permanent in July 2012.
Last night, Neil Lennon sang the praises of his goalie before he heads to Brazil where England face a tough group alongside Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
‘Fraser deserves to be in the squad as he’s good enough and his performances over the last three seasons have just improved all the time,’ said the Celtic boss. ‘It’s a huge feather in his cap and great for the club.’
Forster’s inclusion came at the expense of Norwich No 1 John Ruddy, formerly with Motherwell. Relegated on Sunday with the Carrow Road outfit, the 27- year- old’s second omission from a major tournament for England made for a devastating end to a dismal week.
‘I got the phone call from Roy and I was obviously very disappointed not to be involved in the squad,’ Ruddy said. ‘It is devastating. I had the same thing in the Euros (in 2012). I broke my finger two days into training and missed that one as well.
‘I fought back that season and have been involved in every squad I have been available for in the last two years. To fall at the last hurdle is a bitter pill to swallow.
‘It is really gut-wrenching, but I wish all the lads who are going the best and hope they go as far as they can.
‘This has been a bad week in my career, but it is something that will make me stronger. I thought I had done enough to make the squad, but it wasn’t to be. I had one clean sheet less than Joe Hart, who won the title. I’m on the stand-by list and I will wait to see if a call comes my way.’