James Forrest thought he’d seen it all during his trophy laden career but the season just ended proved him wrong as Celtic endured a turbulent campaign that was even tougher to cope with that that awful Covid year…
The Celtic legend was brought into the starting XI by Martin O’Neill on Saturday and played for an hour, helping to impose Celtic’s domination in the Scottish Cup finals as Celtic added the Scottish Cup to the the Scottish Premiership trophy won a week earlier against Hearts at Celtic Park.
For Forrest this has certainly been one of the best weeks in his long and highly successful Celtic career which still has one more season to run after he recently signed a new contract extension.
‘The most crazy and mental I’ve been involved in’
“The 10-in-a-row, the COVID season was different for different reasons, but this one’s been the most crazy and mental I’ve been involved in,” James Forrest said, via STV.
“I think it just makes it sweeter at the end when you do come back, when everybody’s writing you off to win the league, and obviously to get a double.”
So where does this season rank in Jamesy’s Celtic career? Right at the very top is the answer.
‘Definitely the best league I’ve won, the best trophy I’ve won”
“I think it’s the best,” Celtic’s most decorated player said. “Last week – I’d never experienced any of that, I think it was definitely the best league I’ve won, the best trophy I’ve won.
“Right from day one of pre-season, it just felt like it wasn’t going to be our way, and I think everyone’s dug in. I’m getting older now as well. It’s all worth it, putting in the hard graft, working hard through the bad times to get moments like this.”
James Forrest, like everyone else connected with the club, reckons that Martin O’Neill deserves so much credit for the job he’ down at the club over his two spells as interim manager this season.
‘We were obviously going through a tough time’
“When he came in last October, we were obviously going through a tough time, and I think he’d seen that,” James Forrest noted.
“He came in and he was just so good with every player, even myself as an older player, the younger boys, the foreign boys, I think everyone understood him right away. He had an aura.
“It’s just working. I think everybody can see the games that we’ve won, tough games, and obviously coming back and winning the league, you win a cup in that as well. So, I think he’s been unbelievable, and it’s a credit to him.
‘He’s made everybody feel good about themselves’
“What he’s done, especially in the last couple of months, he’s come in, he’s given everybody confidence, he’s made everybody feel good about themselves. I think everyone’s delighted for him,” the legendary Celtic winger said.
“You see all the fans signing his name, and whatever he decides to do, I think everyone will be happy. He hasn’t told us yet. I think if it’s up to him, all the players in the team will be buzzing to see him back,” Jamesy added.
James Forrest also looked back at the tough moments during the season, especially in that midwinter spell when Celtic dropped a dozen points in six games and also lost the Premier Sports Cup final and noted that even during those challenging circumstances the Celtic squad kept together.
“On the outside, when you’re at Celtic, there’s always going to be pressure on you, and you get judged every game,” James Forrest said.
‘We’ve really stuck together’
“I think that’s just how it is at a big club, but just for the season that it’s been, for different managers at different times, the character of the changing room and the boys, there’s not once that the boys have turned against each other.
“I think that’s been the main thing, that we’ve really stuck together.”
Here’s James Forrest speaking to Celtic TV at Hampden on Saturday afternoon after Celtic’s 3-1 wi over Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup Final…
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