Forrest won’t rest in quest to deliver the goods
WITH five goals in his previous two matches for Scotland, James Forrest ought to have been the most difficult player for Alex McLeish to drop after the debacle in Kazakhstan. In reality, the winger’s amiable personality may have made him one of the easier targets for blame.
Forrest did not play well in the 3-0 defeat in the Astana Arena but he was hardly a lone offender.
And, having scored the Nations League hat-trick against Israel that earned McLeish’s side a play-off spot last November, he would have seemed an obvious pick for the job of wearing down a one-dimensional San Marino team.
Instead, Forrest was one of six players taken out of the side as McLeish rang the changes at the Serravalle Stadium. A second-half substitute, the 27-year-old helped lift the tempo of another leaden performance and laid on the clinching goal for Johnny Russell.
Even without the raft of
call-offs and retirements that have pock-marked McLeish’s year-long reign, there’s a compelling argument for one of the most decorated in Celtic’s history to start every time. This season he has already reached a career-best total of 20 goals yet remains devoid of ego.
Forrest just isn’t the type to complain — not even when it’s put to him that he is often taken for granted.
‘You could maybe say that, but I just keep going,’ he says. ‘I didn’t start the San Marino game and anyone will tell you that is a disappointment.
‘But I still came on and helped the team. Playing for the national team is a step up. I always want to go away and play for Scotland and contribute.’
Forrest’s place on the right side of the attack went to Russell, now exiled in America with Sporting Kansas City and without a goal in his previous nine internationals.
A more quarrelsome personality might have questioned the decision.
‘Even before the Kazakhstan game the manager said that no matter the score, he was always going to make changes for San Marino,’ says Forrest.
‘When you go away you make yourself available for every game and he said there was a good chance I would come on.
‘I still managed to do that and play my part.’
Even so, Forrest admits that the optimism that flourished around his double in the 4-0 away win over Albania, and continued to soar through his hat-trick heroics in the midweek win over Israel at Hampden, has now evaporated.
If McLeish’s team was unimpressive over the two matches, the national manager has himself cut an unconvincing figure off the pitch.
A gregarious figure who distinguished himself as a player with Aberdeen and Scotland before hoarding trophies as manager of Rangers and leading his country to a memorable win over France in his first spell in charge, McLeish looks beaten up by the strains of the job.
Few believe he will limp on for much longer.
‘I think you have to look more at the group,’ argued an ever-loyal Forrest. ‘You can’t just point fingers at one player or staff member — we are all in it together.
‘We had a real positive couple of days leading up to the Kazakhstan game, everyone was feeling good among the group.
‘It was a shock to go 2-0 down after 10 minutes, that’s not where we wanted to be, and I don’t think we had any fight to get back into the game.
‘The last Scotland camp was the best I had been involved in. The changing room after was like a real club mentality and I’ve never seen that with a Scotland group before.
‘It was really positive and then the next camp it just goes right down to the opposite.
‘After Kazakhstan, in the couple of days leading up to the San Marino game, we were all down. It’s hard to pick everyone up after a performance and a result like that, but all the boys have gone back to their clubs to try to pick up their confidence again.
‘Then next time we meet up for Scotland, everyone will want to get round as a group together, get tight, and get some good results.’
When Scotland next take to the field against Cyprus in June, Forrest will surely be included. Whether it’s McLeish who chooses to select him remains to be seen.
I will just keep on going. I always want to contribute for Scotland