Latest news with #JamesForrest
Daily Record
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
James Forrest soaking up Celtic history lesson he doesn't need as Lisbon lore makes no 17 a bit more special
The Hoops are training at the Cidade do Futebol which is just a free-kick away from the iconic Estadio Nacional The Portuguese sun might be hiding behind the rain clouds. But James Forrest is soaking up every minute of Celtic's return to Lisbon. The Hoops are in an unusually wet and drizzly Portugal for the latest leg of their pre-season tour - a far cry from the roasting hot conditions back in Costa del Glasgow right now. Based at Cidade do Futebol, Brendan Rodgers has been putting the champions through their paces at the state-of-the-art training complex used by the Portugal national team. And just over their shoulder sits the iconic Estadio Nacional, the colosseum where Billy McNeill climbed the steps in 1967 to become the first British man to lift the European Cup. It was a moment that changed the course of Celtic history forever. As the club's most decorated player, Forrest doesn't need a history lesson. But the evergreen winger revealed Rodgers made sure the current squad fully understood what the holy ground means. He said: 'The gaffer brought everyone together on our first day here and was talking about it. He was telling all the new lads about it. 'It's a great set-up we have here and it's great to get away from Glasgow for our pre-season training. 'I'm not sure if our schedule will allow us to actually visit the stadium given we have double sessions and games. 'But it's obviously a really iconic place. 'It's unbelievable what happened here as part of the history of the club. "The manager talked about that and I think the new players then looked into it and took note of it. 'You definitely love hearing the stories about it. It never gets old.' Incredibly, this marks Forrest's SEVENTEENTH pre-season at Celtic. The one-club man has seen hundreds of players come and go since bursting onto the scene in 2010. And with new signings Ben Nygren, Hayato Inamura and Callum Osmand joining the ranks, Forrest knows just how important these camps are for helping the fresh faces settle in. He said: 'It's been a good start to pre-season. 'We were obviously in Ireland for a couple of days and a lot of boys got minutes under their belt. 'We've now come out to Portugal where the facilities are really good. 'We can do double sessions with beds at the training ground which allows us to rest in the afternoon. 'You just need to enjoy it and embrace it. 'I've obviously done so many pre-seasons with the club down the years and you get to see good parts of the world. 'The training is hard but it's good for the new signings to get together with the squad. "It's an important part of the season before we go back for the competitive games." The trip also brought a familiar face back into the fold as injured winger Jota popped in to see his teammates. Born and bred in Lisbon, the ex-Benfica star has been back in his hometown doing his rehab as he works his way back from a horror ACL injury. Forrest added: 'All the boys and all the staff thought it was great to see him. He's looking well. 'It was obviously a bad injury he got but he was in good spirits and it was probably good for him to see the lads. 'Physically, you know he'll get to where he needs to get to. 'But it's always the mental side with long-term injuries. You can be alright for a couple of weeks, then hit a lull for a couple of days. 'But the way he speaks, and the way he is as a person, gives me no doubt that he'll come back flying as much as he was before he got injured.'
Daily Record
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Brendan Rodgers has the Celtic dressing room all thinking the same thing about his future
The all-conquering Hoops boss is out of contract next summer and James Forrest insists the dressing room is united in what they want James Forrest insists Celtic's squad are desperate for Brendan Rodgers to stay beyond this season, writes Ryan MacDonald in Lisbon. The Hoops boss is out of contract next summer and has yet to commit to a new deal. Rodgers vowed to see out his initial three-year term after returning for a second stint in 2023. He's been true to his word and has rebuilt his legacy at Parkhead by winning back-to-back Doubles. And Forrest admits everyone in the Celtic dressing room wants the gaffer to stick around for even longer. He said: 'In his first spell, you look at the amount he's won. "He's then come back and done the exact same thing. Everyone loves working with him. 'The fans love him, and everyone at the club would like him to stay. But it's down to him. 'And he won't let that affect what he does on the training pitch or in games. 'But everyone, all the players, would obviously love him to stay. It would be good for the club. 'It's part of football. He said at the end of last season he was definitely going to stay for the season ahead and everyone was delighted with that. 'When you work with top managers, it's obviously better for the players. "So everyone is just delighted that he's here for this season, and hopefully, we can have another successful year.' Forrest - Celtic's most decorated player - tasted a rare defeat at Hampden as Aberdeen pulled off a shock Scottish Cup Final win. The Treble-busting loss was a gut-wrenching way to end what had been an outstanding campaign both domestically and in Europe. And the 34-year-old says the champions are champing at the bit to make amends. He said: 'Everyone knows we had a really good year. Cup finals can be like that. 'In the successful periods we've had, you can always get decisions that who against you or penalty shootouts that don't go your way. 'They're one-off games but when we look back, we have been on the better end of those results more often than not. 'But it's maybe good for everyone that they know you need to keep working hard in the early rounds of cups and in every game you need to be really at it to win trophies. 'In the run, I think it'll be good for players to experience that." Across the city, Rangers are undergoing another rebuild as new Ibrox boss Russell Martin seeks to end Celtic's dominance. But Forrest is paying no attention as he added: "I think it's always been the case that we just look at ourselves. 'Every manager I've had here has said the same. 'There is no point worrying about any other team or any other competition. Our players in our team have always stuck to that. 'And it won't be any different this season.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Inamura features as Celtic secure late win in Cork
New signing Hayato Inamura featured as Celtic defeated Cork City 2-1 in a pre-season 23, started at left-back at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, in a side that featured first-team regulars Arne Engels, James Forrest, Callum McGregor and Auston Trusty, with Viljami Sinisalo in McCowan struck the Celtic opener in the first half but Matthew Murray levelled for Cork after the break. Colby Donovan headed a late Celtic who beat hosts Queen's Park 1-0 last week, continue their pre-season programme in Portugal with games against Estrela da Amadora (Saturday) and Sporting (next Wednesday).
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Role model Tierney's return tremendous for youth players'
Celtic B team coach Stephen McManus insists "role model" Kieran Tierney's return has "given everyone a real boost".The 28-year-old officially rejoined Celtic this week on a free transfer, six years after leaving for Arsenal in a £25million captain McManus said: "It's massive because young players want to feel as if they've got somebody that they can look up to. They've got that but they need to see that and they need to feel that for themselves."You've got it with Callum (McGregor), you've got it with James (Forrest), so now with KT coming back it gives us an extra top player."McManus also believes the learnings Tierney made at the Emirates will be of benefit "throughout the club"."The fact that he's coming back with his full career ahead of him after the experiences he's had down in England at a top club like Arsenal, is going to be invaluable, not just for himself, for the younger players but for everybody throughout the football club."Kieran's coming back at the age that he's at, his full career's ahead of him. For the national team, for us as a club, it's tremendous."It's given everybody a real boost and for the younger lads it's another role model that we've got to look up to."
Scottish Sun
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I went to same school as Celtic hero James Forrest, I used his poster on the wall as inspiration for my football career
Exclusive FORR REAL I went to same school as Celtic hero James Forrest, I used his poster on the wall as inspiration for my football career The youngster made his debut at Celtic Park but is now looking for a new club
