“As long as I am playing for Celtic I want to keep contributing,” James Forrest said after starring in Celtic’s 4-1 win over St Johnstone on Saturday that ensured that Celtic’s nine-point lead was restored at the top of the league looking down on theRangers.
David Potter singled out Jamesy for special praise in his post match comments on The Celtic Star on Saturday evening as the Centurion added another assist to his grand statistical total of goals and assists , he is one of only three players to reach a hundred in both categories for Celtic and the other two – Jimmy Johnstone and Henrik Larsson – weren’t too bad players for Celtic.
“Stats like that are good to hear and I’m pleased to have added another against St Johnstone. I just hope I can keep doing that as long as I’m here. Before we had the World Cup break I had a good wee spell in the team, ” Forrest said as reported by Scottish Sun.
“But there are so many players and such competition for places as well, so I think we just need to keep working hard. The manager has shown that he gives everyone a chance and you just need to be ready when it comes. I’m at a point where I savour every game. I maybe even reached that point a couple of years ago.
“You know this is a massive club, and I think you start to appreciate that more as you grow older. You see the number of players we sign and bring in, and I take pride and confidence from being here for so long.
“But you never rest on your laurels. You need to keep going and keep pushing. The manager doesn’t let you rest on what you have anyway. He is good for every game we play, it doesn’t matter who we play or the competition.
“He is always saying to everyone that we don’t want to be looking back one day and feeling as if we wasted a single minute. That impacts on me a lot because I am older and I want to make the most of the time I have.
“I want to make the most of my career now. You don’t want to be someone who looks back on what you’ve done before. The gaffer is big on the here and now. He wants everyone at it for every minute. You need to keep performing in training to be a part of the squad, a part of the team. That’s just the way it is.
“I think that’s just the way the manager likes it. He likes to change things at half-time or after 60 minutes. He likes to see boys coming in fresh and working hard. You would like to get a rhythm of playing, but when you don’t play you top up and do your hard work in training.
“When you see the number of times he has made changes this season you know there’s a chance to come in and do well. The gaffer has given me a new lease of life. Last year when he came in he had such an impact. You are always learning and the way he plays is so different to any other manager I’ve had before.
“So even though I am 31 I am still learning and that’s good because it keeps you hungry. The manager wants everyone to give everything they can from the first minute to the 90th, and he wants the intensity to be as high as possible for the 90 minutes. Everyone knows that’s how it is and whenever you are on the park you just have to give 100 per cent., “Jamesy said.
On Reo Hatate playing behind him at right-back on Saturday after Anthony Ralston picked up an ankle knock against Livingston in midweek, Jamesy was very impressed with the performance from the Japanese midfielder. “It looked like it didn’t faze Reo at all. It is obviously the first time he has played there for us – and to score twice must have given him such confidence. He didn’t look out of place and I thought he did really well.”
Don’t get me wrong .. it’s good news . But he was the same pre Rodgers … , last year he looked like he was finished … why does it take someone new to come in coddle these guys . I guess that’s what separates the good from the very best .