James Forrest

We talk about him like he's ancient. He's still a good player, just needs to stay fit

 

He’s decent but he’s now went three seasons without featuring or contributing a whole lot.

Need to be ruthless and move on.

 

I think injuries have done him in tbh. He’s basically had two very serious injuries in a row, and that’s kept him out of the side for months at a time. The old James Forrest is gone forever.

 

I agree he'll never be quite the same again but I think he's still able to contribute, personally. I think it's clear we're not moving him on, based on Rodgers comments

 

For defo able to do a job, the other night he came on he was giving their full back a tough time.

 

£22 is too much for a game like this. Should have been about £15. We constantly overprice tickets.

 

I get why they are charging for this game but is this the 1st time we've not been given a "free" preseason friendly on the season ticket?

 

Do we know who is getting the money generated from this game? Is James getting all or is there a charity involved?
Perhaps people would be more willing to part with £22 in a cost of living crisis if they knew most of it was going to charity rather than topping up the bank account of a multi millionaire.

 

Aye £22 is a * take.

 

Getting split between the celtic foundation and kilbride hospice.

 

All I've read is that the money goes to charity.

 

Needs to stay. Can still offer something off the bench, bags of experience and i hate this phrase, but he is 'celtic minded' and that helps a lot of the newer players bed in and know what the club is about.

 

He's 31, homegrown and if he is happy to stay then I can't see him going anywhere.

The decision will be his, no one else's.

 

John Kennedy has enjoyed a ringside seat to James Forrest’s illustrious playing career which has already spanned 13 years in the Celtic first-team and which, he believes, still has several more seasons to run.

Now assistant manager at the club, Kennedy has worked with Forrest in a coaching capacity since becoming an integral part of the football department back in 2014.

Seeing him at such close quarters, day in, day out, over many years has given him a real appreciation of James Forrest as a player and as a person.

And for Kennedy, tomorrow night’s testimonial match against Athletic Club is a fitting tribute for someone who has given so much to Celtic over so many years, since joining the club’s Youth Academy as a talented youngster.

“When you look back at a highlights reel of James Forrest, you would say ‘what a player’, said the Celtic assistant manager.

“He does slip under the radar at times, but I think deep down everybody really appreciates what he is and what he has given.

“It’s hard to argue against it with the success he’s had, the trophies he’s won and the statistics he’s managed to achieve, and he has still got a bit to go yet.

'That is the exciting part for him. Now he is going into the latter part of his career now, but he has still got several seasons left in him yet to go out there and achieve more.'

“It’s amazing to think what he has already achieved, there is still more to come for him as well.

“It has been a great journey for him, and for me to see him work, to see how someone at that level works on a daily basis, to achieve the success they get, is great, and for such a humble human being as well. You couldn’t meet a better guy.

“It’s great to be a part of that and I’m delighted to have spent the time with him, and still continue to do so. I can’t pay him any more credit, he’s just such a terrific person.

“With the number of appearances he’s made and what he has achieved at Celtic, it is up there with the very best, and he has written his name in history, and long may that continue.”


The challenge for every player coming through the Celtic Youth Academy is to make it all the way to the first-team and make their top team bow, something that James Forrest did back in May 2010 when he made a goalscoring debut at Celtic Park.

The bigger test is then to stay at that level, and James Forrest is the perfect example for any aspiring Celt of what is required every single day, season after season, in order to remain at the club.

It was the late, great Tommy Burns who once said that his greatest footballing achievement was staying so long at Celtic because, he said, ‘bad players don’t play for Celtic for 14 years.’

Those words apply to James Forrest, who has navigated the many ups and downs of professional football to remain an integral part of the Celtic first-team squad.

“James is not the type who will worry about that or get hung up on other players getting the plaudits,” said John Kennedy. “He is very much a team player.

'He gives his best every day in training and every time he pulls on the shirt. That’s why he has been here for such a long time and been so successful in what he does.'

“It’s not always been plain sailing for him, though, and there were seasons where he had to battle injury. He even had the season under Ronny Deila where he didn’t play an awful lot of football.

“But I saw the other side of him when Brendan first came to the club in 2016. He had the bit between the teeth, and he was fighting for his future at Celtic. That is how much it meant to him.

“So I saw a real change in him that summer, in terms of coming off the back of disappointing season for himself. He came in to prove a point again.

“It was a clean slate for everyone, and he had to prove himself once over. He really attacked that season, and it was a successful season for him and the club.

“So he has had to work for what he has got, he’s had to fight hard for everything he’s got, so he deserves every bit of success that comes with it.”

 

What’s the tickets like still for the mora? Still plenty left?

Maybe grab one if I’m finished in time.

 

Really hope the wee man gets the turnout he deserves. His trophy haul, games, goals and assists for our club makes him a modern day legend