Graft and dedication behind Forster meteoric rise

991

Every Celtic fan will be delighted Fraser Forster was included in the England World Cup squad.  Fraser joined Celtic on loan four years ago, becoming a permanent member of staff in 2012.  His transformation over that period has been remarkable, which is no fluke.

He is the most dedicated footballer at the club.  First in each morning, around 2.5 hours before official start time, he’s also last out of Lennoxtown almost every day.  He is possibly the most complete 365-day-a-year athlete we’ve ever had.  This is a player who has set high personal achievement goals and has allowed no distractions to get in his way.

Enormous credit also has to go to the man who has guided him through his meteoric rise in recent seasons, goalkeeper coach Stevie Woods.  Without the focus, technical development and remedial work Stevie has added to Fraser’s development we would not have nearly as effective a goalkeeper between the sticks.

It is never good to see anyone lose their job but surely the decision for Hearts to sack Gary Locke was one of the easiest to come out of Anne Budge’s 120 minute review (which was more productive than one 120 day review).  Hearts early and late season form, where they comfortably recorded victories against most of their peer group, told a tale of what happened for six months of the season, when the team failed to show up.

Locke had the resources to keep his team in the league this season but found every excuse available to ensure they finished bottom.

I’m less sure Danny Lennon deserved to be hooked.  The gap between St Mirren’s 8th placed finish with 39 points and Hibs on 35 points is narrow, but when he needed to dig deep, Lennon was not found wanting.  St Mirren might not be so fortunate with their next guy.

Tommy Gemmell

We are going to have the one and only Tommy Gemmell on the blog on Friday afternoon between 13:00 and 16:00.  He’ll be available to take your questions and talk about life, football and anything else you care to bring up.  Tune in.

Issue 20 of CQN Magazine, CQLisboN, is out and enjoying great reviews. Click here to read for FREE.

[calameo code=0003901717b11f6e50af4 lang=en page=4 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

991 Comments
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. ...
  10. 26

  1. bournesouprecipe on

    Alan Pardew still the manager? and no director of football there’s got to be

     

    a Joke Innear somewhere

  2. leftclicktic We are all Neil Lennon on

    Sannabhoy and 2000 kids say Hail Hail to Pablo’s family

     

     

    Thank you !!!! Sir for all you do for the Kids :))

     

    You and your fellow helpers are an example of all that is good in our club.

     

    More power to you my friend.

  3. praecepta

     

     

    Ha, I thought you might like that piece >}

     

     

    HH

     

     

    Thomthethim

     

     

    As I said I hope you are correct.

     

     

    But, and always the but, it all depends on how disolusioned he becomes re players in and out, Sammi for eg.

     

     

    I hope he stays for years and leads us into a euro set up.

     

     

    HH

  4. Thindimebhoy on

    THE EXILED TIM

     

    12:04 on 13 May, 2014

     

    If you want a laugh read this.

     

    Their desperation is hilarious.

     

    http://footballtaxhavens.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/celtic-park-built-on-made-ground-comprising-ash-rubble-sand-slag-gravel-even-timber-ranging-from-27ft-16ft-thick-in-places/

     

    Be scared Timmy >}

     

    HH

     

     

    —-

     

     

    Posted this on the site its waiting on moderation haha

     

     

     

    0 thoughts on “Celtic Park built on Made Ground comprising Ash, Rubble, Sand, Slag, Gravel & even Timber ranging from 27ft – 16ft thick in places”

     

     

     

     

    What a load of boring drivel

     

     

    Boy are you lot getting desperate next you will wanting Celtic park closed down because its got bats in the attic !

     

     

    Who is responsible for this rubbish site anyway whoever they are its time they got out in the sun and enjoyed life

     

     

    Posted by a Celt feeling just champion

     

     

    3iar7tg

     

     

    Posted by Dermot O Murphy Reilly Esquire | May 13, 2014, 12:54 pm

  5. Billy Bhoy 05 on

    Moonbeams

     

     

    I take your point, and they certainly won ‘t be necessary in a very wealthy country with a left of centre government.

  6. My friends in Celtic,

     

     

    Like most on her I am absolutely delighted for big FF. His dedication and hard work seem to have prevailed. As others have suggested, there could be a lesson there that could be applied to all walks of life.

     

     

    Undoubtedly Joe Hart will start, but there is always a possibility that he could drop a Clanger” and big FF will get his chance.

     

     

    No matter what keeper starts England will be very fortunate to progress. Personally I don’t really care, but if big FF is playing it will give me more of an interest. The average quality of the England squad is a direct consequence of having an international league played in England. The EPL is an English league only in geographical terms and it is where we must aspire to. They are not taking 18 year olds by choice, it is because of the lack of options. .

     

     

    The blunt truth is that all our players c/w managerial team would jump at the chance if the opportunity came calling to play in the best league in these islands.

     

     

    What odds are we to win the league next season? Will we even get feasible odds without add- on clauses. ?

     

     

    IMO our board generally do a magnificent job in uncompetitive circumstances ( apart from Europe ) as do some of our players.

     

    Step forward KC. Plaudits on the park are one thing, but KC and his wonderful partner Lisa Hague also score off the park with “Hearts and minds”.

     

     

    From a non “Celtic minded” background they perfectly epitomise all that is good about our club and re-emphasise our claim to be more than a club.

     

    They are a credit to both our club and to our wider society. I salute you both.

     

     

    HH, always in Celtic.

  7. Billy Bhoy 05 on

    Tories take lead in polls for first time since 2012. Looks very like another extreme right wing government for another 5 years: That’s much better for Scotland than Independence says bitter together.

     

     

    You’re having a laugh!

  8. Thindimebhoy on

    FourGreenFields

     

     

    :)

     

     

    Dermot O Murphy Reilly Esquire is not my real name of course but its kinda close

     

     

    HH

  9. Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma on

    Borgo67

     

     

    Mr Ferrie – AKA Bilko — was indeed my English teacher but only for a year!

  10. leftclicktic We are all Neil Lennon on

    Thindimebhoy

     

    I told one of them this morning that I was at a meeting between celtic & Glasgow city council as a fans representative on Friday and they asked PL how much money he wanted to finish upgrading our stadium surroundings:as money was no option, and thanked us for helping them out with the commonwealth games))))

     

     

    Hook line and sinker sprung to mind as his anger and despair rose .

     

    itsjusttooeasycsc

  11. Billy Bhoy 05 on

    Bmcuw

     

     

    I watched the video you posted earlier on food-banks in East Kilbride. It was difficult not to cry

     

     

    Every single person that is against Independence should be forced to watch that video…Heartrending it was.

  12. Billy Bhoy 05

     

     

    “Zero Hours Contract will be banned in an Independent Scotland….As will Foodbanks”

     

     

    Me thinks that there will be many things banned in an “independent” Scotland.

     

     

    HH.

  13. Thunder Road on

    bognorbhoy

     

     

    Congratulations on your podium!

     

    Is that 1-1?

     

    Yours is much more prodigious considering how sought after they are nowadays ;)

  14. BRTH

     

     

    Just wondered if he had an influence on your obvious love of the English language :)

     

    Spent some time there but to say I under performed would be a massive under statement.

     

    Yogi’s son was there in my first year , he was in the top class and I “em” wasn’t .

  15. bournesouprecipe

     

     

    13:57 on 13 May, 2014

     

    Alan Pardew still the manager? and no director of football there’s got to be

     

    a Joke Innear somewhere

     

    ——————

     

    Deft touch!

  16. It’s easy to say ‘ban foodbanks’ and ‘scrap bedroom tax’.

     

     

    Harder to say, we’ll increase benefits and provide jobs.

     

     

    Just populist mumbo jumbo.

  17. Bill Boy is longing for the day when Scottish football can free itself from the yoke of English imperialism and be run by Scots for Scots.

     

     

    Oh wait………….

  18. Thindimebhoy on

    leftclicktic We are all Neil Lennon

     

     

     

    Aye the knuckledraggers in their support think Glasgow City Council is run by Celts

     

     

    I never disagree with the delusional its counterproductive

     

     

    This Glasgow Celtic Council myth is worth embellishing at every opportunity

     

     

    Whilst they are concentrating their hate filled (cognitively limited) resources in our direction.

     

     

    We simply just carry on doing more of the same like winning titles and investing in the future

     

     

    HH

  19. TBJ says Wee Oscar Knox is in heaven with the angels on

    In an independent Scotland I won’t be allowed to wear any boxers

  20. Hypothesising in the face of bewilderment –

     

     

    Samaras new contract and bonuses: 20k pw & ?

     

     

    Let’s say circa no more than 750k pa all-in. For 3 years, take it or leave it, Sammi.

     

     

    Cost to Celtic: 2.25 million bucks over 3 years

     

     

    Replacement for Sammi with same high-level CL impact ability: £5 million market value.

     

    wages?: say same offer as Sammi.

     

     

    Cost to Celtic: 7.25 million.

     

     

    Only possible compensation is sell-on value.

     

     

     

    Since when did PL decide to gamble such high stakes on Celtic’s CL presence?

     

     

    The rational approach right now would be to offer Samaras a 3-year deal and spend to ADD CL quality around him.

     

     

    BT deal means DOUBLE money season after next for CL qualification alone. i.e £20 million in the bag immediately.

     

     

    And we decide to offload our luxury asset to go instead with what? Another unproven bit-player gamble, a la Puuki, Derk, Amido?

     

     

    Two days later since Sammi confirmed the events and there’s still no sense being made to me.

     

     

    It looks like not only football idiocy, but corporate neglect too.

     

     

    If Sammi’s words prove accurate it wouldn’t surprise me if Lenny walks as well and we face CL qulaification in 10 short weeks minus a capable experinced manager and our rough diamond joker in the CL pack.

     

     

    Lunacy, I tells ya, lunacy.

  21. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    Still waitin’ to hear from ole Philbhoy’s gran about whether he’s takin’ the Spurs job.

  22. In an independent Scotland the Orangemen of this country will have a far larger say than I am comfortable with .

     

     

    I have also seen no concrete evidence that the need for foodbanks will disappear because of independence.

     

     

    Social deprivation will still exist in poorer areas.

     

     

    TT

  23. Thindimebhoy on

    FourGreenFields

     

     

    thindimebhoy

     

     

    Did you leave the Francis bit out deliberately :-)

     

     

     

     

    Yes I did not want to push my luck in case they had a word block on Francis :))

  24. The Battered Bunnet on

    My son tells me it’s 68 yards, give or take a foot, from the centre spot to the corner flag at Celtic Park.

     

     

    Unlike most of us, he can kick a football that boy, and reckons if he got the right bounce in front of the car, he ‘could’ make the kick right footed.

     

     

    He knows he couldn’t ‘fly’ the ball the whole distance, and points out that the mighty Fraser Forster, apt to pure welly a ball, can hardly clear the centre circle with a bye kick, a distance of 63 yards at Celtic Park.

     

     

    He considers it a little unfair that the target car is a hatchback on account that the open boot acts as a shield and serves to diminish the likelihood of a well placed kick landing in the back of the car on the bounce.

     

     

    I think it’s just classic halftime slapstick entertainment. Get three trumpets, give them a few beers before the game, stick them in shorts and sannies, and let a full house at Celtic Park laugh while they make complete fools of themselves.

     

     

    It’s really rather unbecoming, although pretty good for a bit of impromptu Pythagoras of a Saturday afternoon.

  25. Billy Bhoy 05 on

    Greenpinata

     

     

    Aye, you’re right. Indiscriminate sanctions from job centres and ATOS like medical investigations

  26. Tommy Gemmell? What did he ever do for Celtic ? :)

     

     

    Fill up every time I see that goal. What a player

  27. Did Billy Boy ever explain what he meant by this?

     

     

    He firstly claimed he couldn’t remember posting it (this was withing 12 hours of it appearing).

     

     

    He then claimed it was taken out of context.

     

     

    He then went quiet.

     

     

     

    #######

     

     

     

     

    ‘I live in Scotland which is a fantastic country and will improve a thousandful when we get rid of Unionists like yourself.’

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. ...
  10. 26