It has been a mixed old season for Celtic and manager Brendan Rodgers, but individual fans will have their own opinions on the drivers behind that and whether or not our campaign was almost derailed due to tactics, a very heavy injury list to key players, or a failure to more appropriately strengthen during both available transfer windows.
Whatever your standpoint on that, our much better start more than tailed off during the New Year period, but having dug in during more recent weeks, we have re-established a small buffer zone at the top of the Scottish Premiership table and the league trophy is once again ours to lose.
With three games left in the domestic campaign before we turn our eyes to the Scottish Cup final, added to the fact we have a greater goal difference, the advantage is definitely ours though, albeit some will be very wary of a slip up.
For those fans who like a small flutter, sites providing daily football accumulator tips could be helpful for the remainder of the campaign, and the upcoming European Championships, and as many will already know, given MightyTips experience in sports predictions, it can often pay to listen to the experts who give advice on their website
With a better return of form and performance levels, one player who has again proven to be huge for us has been 32 year old Academy graduate and once club Scottish international, James Forrest.
Having had a blockbuster career at Parkhead, he had spent quite a spell on the sidelines but when Rodgers called on him late this season, he has more than answered the call and in some style as well.
With his last appearance coming on December 23, he has simply been at a different level since he was reintroduced to the first team squad on March 10, and with seven games to his name in the second half of the year, he has already chipped in with four key goals to help push us, and then keep us, back at the top of the table.
With his recent performances again earning him rave reviews, it seems inevitable that he will ultimately add more winners medals to his already burgeoning collection. With 22 major trophy wins to his name at the club, he is level with former teammate Scott Brown and one medial behind absolute club legend Billy McNeill.
Having gained himself a few headlines this year, colleague Matt O’Riley is one of the latest to heap praise on Forrest for the way that he quietly goes about his business, and he has stated that our Mr Nice Guy certainly does not get the credit that he deserves for his influence on the pitch, and around the club at the training ground.
The 23 year old midfielder narrowly missed out on this year’s PFA Scotland Player of the Year award at the weekend, but he was in awe at how many medals Forrest had actually earned across his career, particularly given he was so down to earth and such a nice guy to be around, as he was not arrogant or expectant, and just got on with things and played his role even when he has not been in the team.
Forrest’s recent form has already sparked talk as to whether or not the winger has potentially played his way into Steve Clarke’s plans for the Scotland squad at the 2024 European Championships, but we will soon find out, and until then, Celtic fans have far bigger things to concern themselves with and that will undoubtedly be Forrest’s own focus as well.
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