Martin O’Neill immediately showed faith in Celtic’s veteran winger James Forrest in his first match in charge of Celtic in twenty years by restoring the club’s most decorated player of all time to his starting XI for the match against Falkirk on Wednesday night at Celtic Park.
Ahead of today’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden against theRangers, Jamesy spoke to the mainstream media and gave am insight into O’Neill’s first meeting with the Celtic players the day after Brendan Rodgers’ so-called resignation and the day before what had turned into a mist win match for Celtic.
Yesterday Hearts took full advantage of the opportunity provided to them by the fixture list with the two Glasgow giants involved in Premier Sports cup action by pulling further away for both Celtic and theRangers with a thumping 4-0 win over Dundee at Tynecastle. Hearts are now nine points ahead of Celtic and an incredible 14 points ahead of the latest Ibrox club, although they have played a game more.
James Forrest spoke about Martin O’Neill’s first meeting with the Celtic class of 2025 when he spoke to the team at Lennoxtown on Wednesday morning.
“He spoke with us for like 10 to 15 minutes in the morning of the Falkirk game,” Jamesy said, as reported by The Herald. “You could just see all the boys really bought into what he was saying. Especially for me, knowing what he’s done for the club.
“The aura, when he was in the room, when he was speaking, everyone was properly tuned in, and that’s what he deserves.
“Straight away, he was talking, he was so positive, he was praising the lads, he was being really confident. And that was, I think, maybe what the lads needed in the morning of the game, just obviously because it was a difficult 48 hours for everyone at the club.
“He just made it really light-hearted. He was just telling us what happened obviously, the phone call on the Monday, him coming back, and I think he said he was nervous but excited and wanted to do well for us. He was going round the lads and telling us that there are winners in the changing room, and just bigging us up, and I think it was good, it really hit home.
“He spoke for 10 to 15 minutes, and I feel as though the boys were really tuned into him.
“You’ve got Cal, great captain, everything he says, everything he takes on as well, so it’s great to have that, and obviously it’s a wee difficult period just now, but I think it will show the characters and stuff coming out now.
“It’s just part of playing for a big club, you’re going to get ups and downs, and you need to take both along the way.”
Asked about how Martin O’Neiil converted £50k signing from Hibs, Didier Agathe into a wing-back in a 3-5-2 system to great effect, Forrest admitted he’d been slightly concerned that he might ne asked to perform a similar role.
“Aye, that was what I was worrying about when he came in. I haven’t got the legs for that!
“He keeps comparing my age with his age, but I don’t know if I have got that in me anymore. But, even for me as an older player, you can take great confidence from hearing him tell you he has watched you over the years. It makes you feel good. You do need that kind of feedback sometimes as a footballer.”
Martin O’Neill will have a big decision to make on two of Celtic’s ‘most loved’ sons today when he finalises his team. With both Daizen Maeda and Kieran Tierney in contention for a starting place at Hampden, the interim Celtic manager has to decide who plays at left-back, KT or the Uruguayan internationalist Marcelo Saracchi, who impressed MON on Wednesday night.
He also has to decide if Daizen is starting who drops out and the choices there are James Forrest on the right wing or Johnny Kenny – who scored twice against Falkirk – at centre-forward.
Kelechi Iheanacho is likely to be available today but he’s probably going to be on the bench as Celtic look to book a place in the Premier Sports Cup final on Sunday 14 December against St Mirren.
Let’s do this today Celtic. It’s time for another Beautiful Sunday.
READ THIS…Celtic v the Rangers – Team News, Match Officials & Where to Watch
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