Celtic Fan View: James Forrest continues his scintillating form

Celtic’s domestic campaign has been one full of constant themes: goals, quick football, wins, Moussa Dembele dominating the headlines and the rejuvenation of a number of players who looked destined for the Parkhead exit eight months ago. The last part is particularly important.

At the end of last season Ronny Deila departed the club leaving the new manager with an unbalanced squad lacking confidence with many individuals considered to be ‘dead wood’.

Brendan Rodgers’ coaching ability on an individual and collective basis has provided many of those players with renewed hope, however. You could pick a handful of players who have reached greater heights during the Northern Irishman’s short tenure Parkhead, perhaps none more so than James Forrest.

On Saturday we seen all those themes recur. It wasn’t the best performance by the Bhoys but they were still fairly dominant, coasting to a 2-0 win at home to Motherwell. They created plenty of chances, Moussa Dembele scored his 27th goal of this term and the aforementioned Forrest was sensational.

The winger is in the form of his life playing with a sharpness and freedom that’s evaded him for years. A few seasons ago the academy graduate was a regular in the line-up and there were little doubts as to whether he’d go on to become a fine servant for the club.

[READ MORE: Moussa Dembele reiterates his future is at Celtic]

But doubt is exactly what crept into Forrest’s game and then suffocated it as injuries, loss of form and simply falling out of favour plagued his progress. Quite frankly the 25-year-old was staring into the abyss and heading for the exit as he neared the end of his contract.

In some ways the injuries and long periods out of action looked like they were going to define Forrest’s time at Celtic as if he’d be remembered as the kid who could have had it all but was simply unlucky. But Rodgers has been a shining light for the Scotland international and has given him the opportunity to write a new script which he’s gleefully taken.

Last week Forrest told the media: “The gaffer has sat down and chatted with all of us at different stages throughout the season. It has been really good. From day one we have just felt a good vibe. He (Rodgers) gets after us every day to keep pushing on and getting better. That is good to have and it is definitely the best I’ve felt.”

He’s in the team most weeks now and has once again established himself as an influential member of the side providing key moments on a regular basis. On Saturday he scored the side’s second goal by jinking past two challenges and driving a low shot past Craig Samson. Motherwell struggled to cope with his pace and trickery all day as he gave his marker a pasting from start to finish. The previous week he was in even more scintillating form against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

It was a lesson in wing play as he dribbled past defenders at every opportunity, frightening them to death as he laid on chance after chance for his team-mates. It was no surprise that he ended the Scottish Cup clash with a hat-trick of assists in a 6-0 thumping- two of which were measured to perfection.

After Saturday’s win both managers singled Forrest out for praise with his own boss describing him as “outstanding” while Mark McGhee said: “Forrest tore Joe Chalmers apart at the goal but James Forrest is unplayable for anyone in the country when he’s playing like that, so we can’t be too upset.”

Forrest is experiencing his best return for goals and assists since the 2011/12 campaign and come the end of the season he’s likely to surpass those numbers. He’s been a major part of the team’s Champions League run and was awarded the man of the match award in the League Cup final triumph over Aberdeen in which he scored and won a penalty.

Earlier in the season Forrest’s former team-mate Tony Watt called him the “best player in the league” when he’s fit while McGhee said he’s “unplayable.” It’s taken time but people are impressed by Forrest again. It was thought the country would be talking about Forrest in this vein sooner rather than later when he made his breakthrough into the Hoops side managed by Neil Lennon in 2010 but sometimes it’s better late than never.

The fitness issues and levels of consistency that so often dragged him down are what he’s finally put right. The manager has given him the assurances he needed and tied him down to a new contract within his first month in the job. It’s meant Forrest can start afresh, simply concentrate and enjoy being out on the pitch and the results are there for everyone to see including many a terrified full-back.