AN already brilliant start to the season got even better for James Forrest on Saturday night as he finally got his first goals in the dark blue of Scotland.
A sensational second goal put the gloss on an emphatic 4-0 over Albania in Shkoder. The touch to flick the ball over the defender and then the volley finish was world class and if it that was Messi or Ronaldo we would be raving about it for years.
It was a goal only someone at the very peak of their powers in terms of confidence would have attempted. The Celtic winger has been in blistering form for his club and wisely the Parkhead outfit tied him down on a long-term contract a couple of months ago. He is only going to improve and get better.
At 27 James is approaching the peak years for any player. But in truth, ever since he broke into the Celtic team back in 2010 he has been quite a divisive figure among the Celtic fans. Like most wingers, he struggled with consistency earlier in his career but his mentality and character brought him through those tough spells. Even when he was having a poor game and the supporters were on his back I’ve never had the sense watching him that he would hide or not take the ball under pressure. That is a great asset to have as some might have bottled it and drifted away at Celtic. But he has shown tremendous character to stick at it and eventually win over all the fans who didn’t fancy him. Now Celtic have a top-class wide man who could go and play in any league in the world. To get him signed up for a further four years was tremendous business by Celtic. There’s no doubt Forrest is in the £10-15million category. His ability has never been in question for me. James can go either side when running at defenders, has the vision to pick people out with the final pass or cross and when he sees the whites of the goalkeepers eyes, he's a terrific finisher. He has proven it at the highest level.
Up until Brendan Rodgers walked through the door at Parkhead I don’t think anyone would have envisaged him becoming such a key component in the current Celtic side who have dominated Scottish football. Forrest is now one of the first names on the team sheet. It has been a remarkable turnaround and he has arguably improved the most out of all players that Rodgers inherited from Ronny Deila. Forrest has turned himself inside out at Celtic since. He is also durable and always available to the manager as a remarkable 58 appearances for Celtic last season would prove. That is also testament to his professionalism and looking after himself more off the pitch. You can see he has trimmed down a little and certainly looks a lot fitter.
But it’s not only Celtic that will reap the rewards. Now that the monkey is off Forrest’s back in terms of scoring for Scotland, he can kick on and become a real key player for the national team. With him on one flank, the impressive Ryan Fraser on the other and the rejuvenated Ryan Christie tucked in behind them, we now look a real threat going forward. Yes, there will be stiffer tasks ahead than a bang-average Albania. In fact, Israel tick that very box tomorrow night. But it was difficult not to get a wee bit excited on Saturday night at some of the talent Alex McLeish now has at his disposable for Scotland.
We are only in November, but if Forrest keeps up this level of form he will be a shoo in for player of the year. His Celtic team-mates Kieran Tierney and Callum McGregor will also be in the mix – as will Alfredo Morelos of Rangers. But the way in which Forrest took his second goal in Albania shows he is a man in the form of his life. Every time he gets the ball at the minute in the final third you feel as if something positive will happen. Let’s hope he continues that form tomorrow night at Hampden and helps to fire us to a Nations League play-off spot. A man of his talent deserves to play at a major international tournament – as do many others in the squad. Let’s hope that dream will shortly become a reality.
And another thing...
I have found some of the allegations that players do not want to play for Scotland because of the manager very distasteful to say the least. It’s not only disrespectful to Alex McLeish but also to the professionalism of some top players and pros to insinuate they are faking injury. The performance and desire to win in Albania surely put that theory to bed. The players are still clearly playing for the manager.
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