"That impacts on me a lot"; James Forrest hails Ange Postecoglou's Celtic team talks

By John McGinley

December 27, 2022

James Forrest is relishing his role as an elder statesman in the Celtic squad, sharing he has renewed appreciation for life at the club since the arrival of Ange Postecoglou.

At the weekend, he became just the third player in Celtic history to have registered both 100 goals and 100 assists for the Bhoys, joining club legends Henrik Larsson and Jimmy Johnstone.

After the game, he was as positive as ever about his Celtic experience and gave a bit of insight into how his fifth manager at the Bhoys keeps him motivated even though he isn’t getting regular starts.

As quoted by The Scottish Daily Mail [26/12 print edition, page 70], he said: “Maybe when you get older you start to realise what you have. You know this is a massive club and I think you start to appreciate that more. 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 absolute most of the time I have. I want to make the most of my career. 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. Even though I am 31, I am still learning and that’s good because it keeps you hungry.”

Forrest has made 12 appearances for Celtic this season but only three of them have come as starts. Regardless, Postecoglou has made it clear he is an important member of the squad.

It’s not as if he hasn’t contributed either, already netting five goals this season and a good bet to make it into double figures across the year yet again for the Bhoys.

As long as he remains motivated and eager to improve at Celtic, there’ll be a space for him in these trophy-winning squads, adding to his incredible career haul.

In other news, Report: Celtic have fresh plans for Johnny Kenny.