Fraser Forster had a daily routine which verged on OCD. He rose at 6:00, ate his first meal of the day, drove to Lennoxtown (while eating six pancakes, as it happens), then worked-out in the gym. He stopped for ‘breakfast’ with the rest of the team, his third intake of the day, before training started at 10:00.
After training the players take lunch, then head home. Fraser stayed, back to the gym, or some specialist work with goalkeeper coach Stevie Woods, before heading home at 16:30. He was first to arrive and last to leave, every day.
This was his routine, broken only something as rare as a dentist visit. Every biological and fitness measurement was documented with improvements targeted.
Years ago, he decided he was going to this year’s World Cup. The personal relationship, which took visits to London to maintain, was put on hold. The visits interrupted the work schedule for two days, which he couldn’t afford.
There is a reasonable chance that he put more work into his game than any player in Celtic history, the contrast with some would anger you. The results were remarkable. Fraser transformed from a rough stone into the only man in the England World Cup squad not to play in their feted league.
Much of this was as a result of the meeting of minds he had with Stevie Woods. Stevie completely changed Fraser’s game, set career targets with him and planned how to reach them. I could make a good case that Woods is one of the leading goalkeeping coaches in Europe. He created one of the greatest keepers in Britain and will do so again.
On a personal level, he is everything you would want a Celtic player to be, had time for kids, time for fans. He graduates from Celtic as a credit to our club. We want more like this.
While I’ll have genuine regret if he goes, the axiom of the ages remains true, we manage our assets, or we fail to manage our assets. If we have £10m to add to or deny the budget, it should not be tied up in a goalkeeper.
So good for Celtic, but it’s left me with a problem. I’ve a nine-year-old who eats, sleeps, talks and, most of all, dreams, Fraser Forster. Hero worship has never been so intense, so I’ll delay wishing the big guy well, just in case….
Just so you know, Maribor would put us out if we played them this week. Don’t go dreaming of Champions League football yet.
Still cannot believe what happened yesterday.
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NEWS FLASH
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Heathrow Airport Holdings has apologised for any inconvenience.
A statement from Sevco 5088 read: “What is an apology?”
Jungle Jim is Big Joe`s new mete 0:-)
JJ
snake plissken
Big Joe
Ruggygman
Agree with all 3 of you!
It’s a delicate balance that young Ronny D is being tasked to tread.
But i was one row from the front at murrayfield. Plenty close enough to see the likes of stokes and VVD display a real lack of hunger
We could all see that. Wherever we were in the ground.
That can never be accepted in the Hoops.
HH jamesgang
Raberto67
11:58 on 10 August, 2014
Morning Bhoys :-)
Not read back so not joining in – got too much to do today to risk losing 8 hours!
Thought I’d share this wee gem I watched whilst having my breakfast. The last goal is my favourite and shows all the wee man’s class in a flash. No lack of pace either I might add…;-)
Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiSq_-u4UfI
HH
Great video mate………………………
However, I still think Martin never played him enough…..
Always subbed him off, saying he was saving him.
JustmyOpinion
Lenny lifts the lid on SS1 just now
• The Green Man
12:01 on 10 August, 2014
Seriously…im asking.
Why would you want to buy sub standard players?
Are we really being asked to believe, that a batch of inferior players, will improve the team.
What kind of logic is that?
I dont understand wtf the plc are trying to do.
Are they stupid or what?
HH
Are you trying to say players don’t improve………………..
Just asking like………………………….
Larrson……………………….
JJ
Whizzing?
Aye, by my standards.
Maybe just sauntering by your giro d’Angus standards!
Soon became ‘careering’ when the bee was added to the mix!
;-)
HH jamesgang
Jungle Jim
12:03 on 10 August, 2014
Jungle Jim is Big Joe`s new mete 0:-)
JJ
Great minds mate……………………
:-))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
I rose at 5.30 last Wed, drove to do a 10 hour shift in Kilmarnock, then drove through to Murrayfield. Saw a team whose effort didn’t match our support. I got home just before midnight but passed a South Wales Celtic bus, who would not get home till Thurs morn. They must have been really scunnered with oor teams’s effort (or lack of)
Big joe
Have derk, amido, or rogic improved
Has pukki or leigh griff improved?
HH
Joe
You could be right mate.
Looking at some of the pitches early on, makes you wonder if this helped hone his skills. Got to improve the ability to kill a ball under any circumstances. Run some coo’s over one of the training pitches for practice matches? Raberto67 say AYE!
HH
Jamesgang…..
Definately … These guys need to be careful what they wish for. I reckon it would be easier to just buckle down where they are currently at, I.e Celtic…. Because for guys like Stokes, I foresee nothing other than a career downward spiral , once leaving the hoops.
Snake
Very receptive to outgoing player transfer rumours, regardless of who they are. It means Celtic are working to bring in new players.
The position we are in means nobody is expendable, and automatic picks are the same as fringe players. Hopefully there will be much change at Celtic before the transfer window closes.
Progress can only begin with a clear out, LG is on a par with Stokes, Balde and Pukki.
We need better, I think Celtic will sign players in this window.
Regarding Tonev not playing well at Villa.
There’s no doubt he’s a technically gifted footballer. He’s a Bulgarian Internationalist and has simply not settled at Villa, I’d struggle to settle in Birmingham(no offence intended)
Going through a bad run doesn’t mean you can’t pull it together again.like on here; I have every faith that the growing number of posters who are going through a seemingly endless patch of posting negatively about our Club, will, given the chance, eventually sort out what’s missing in their lives and come on to making enlightening, productive posts, instead of the constant deliberate negativity, which I associate with the Huns when they celebrate a goal by snarling.
Give folk a chance.
It would be an incredibly romantic idea to believe that the club they only ever wished to sign for has a huge influence on how well they perform.
From recent past experience in Celtic’s case, it’s had almost the absolute opposite impact, case in point David Marshall, a working class lad from Riddrie who grew up watching Celtic, after two amazing games back-to-back, suffers a terrible run of form, is sold on the cheap and is now vying for team of the year in England.
You only need to look at the best recent players for Celtic, Wanyama, Forster, Hooper, Hartson, Boruc, Sutton, Moravcik, Balde and Larsson, not one of these guys supported Celtic or even gave Celtic’s name a second glance prior to signing for us. Yet their inner professionalism is what made them great players, not whether they’d stood on the terraces as a wee lad.
The only club you ever wished to play is nowhere near enough motivation to get you through the many setbacks in a player’s career. Loss of form, being dropped, not fitting into the correct formation, injury, not being a manager’s favourite, not integrating with the players all play a much bigger role no matter which club you play in. Through all that, you’ve got to train harder than before even though you’re body is betraying you to just stand still let alone improve, as old father time catches up with you.
The players that do improve are those who should earn the respect of the fans, all too often though, where a player comes from is of greater significance irrespective of their past, or whether the player has a winner’s mentality.
Delaneys Dunky. I have to agree if we had been gubbed but the players had given everything they had im sure we would have accepted the better team had won.The fact that many of them looked disintrested and unfit and that is just not good enough H.H.
Id say that derk, balde, pukki, stokes, rogic,Griffiths, and tonev….should all be punted asap, if anybody is daft enough to take them.
As for the genius who signed them…he knows nothing about football.
Some of these half-wits on the plc, need their heads examined.
HH
Watching Liverpool v Dortmund on BT Sport , apparently 90,000 Dortmund fans turned up for a training day yesterday . Incredible.
Big Joe
Sorry for the late reply, was oot with the dugs.
No, I am the other side of the sieras, the nearest town is a place called Baza, deep in cave land, magic so it is >}
HH
Jungle Jim
11:58 on
10 August, 2014
Also, where is the `dressing room unrest` story coming from? Again, sounds a nonsense to me and the kind of story the MSSM would `leak`. It`s a pity some have already taken it as a fact.
I have seen the rumours. I actually believe there is unrest.
The club will be like any other workplace when a new manager arrives. Ronny has upset the apple-cart. Several cosy wee routines are being challenged and some look unhappy. The young McGregor lad has been MOTM in both Legia games, his level of skill and determination, the latter earned the accolade. That’s no surprise.
Mowbray suffered the same reaction from players and he punted a few. In the tie against Hapoel, I’m of the opinion that some of our players didn’t do their best for him.
• jamesgang
12:03 on 10 August, 2014
snake plissken
Big Joe
Ruggygman
Agree with all 3 of you!
It’s a delicate balance that young Ronny D is being tasked to tread.
But i was one row from the front at murrayfield. Plenty close enough to see the likes of stokes and VVD display a real lack of hunger
We could all see that. Wherever we were in the ground.
That can never be accepted in the Hoops.
HH jamesgang
The hard thing for Ronny will be to win over the senior players,
Especially if a lot of them don’t buy into Ronny’s mindset
That’s why I believe the Europa would be a good stepping stone.
I willdonmyflackjaket
From Dortmund website
09/08/2014
90,000 ATTEND BVB’S FAMILY FUN DAY
BVB’s Family Fun Day attracted some 90,000 people to the Strobeallee. Over 30,000 stayed until the end and saluted the team in the Signal Iduna Park.
delaneys dunky
no problem mate
for u and ryan
will be my pleasure
12.45 kick off remember
pick up at the H and B about 11am
or a time more sutiable for you
jam67
• Delaneys Dunky
12:08 on 10 August, 2014
I rose at 5.30 last Wed, drove to do a 10 hour shift in Kilmarnock, then drove through to Murrayfield. Saw a team whose effort didn’t match our support. I got home just before midnight but passed a South Wales Celtic bus, who would not get home till Thurs morn. They must have been really scunnered with oor teams’s effort (or lack of)
Respect to you Sir………………………….
joedothsHiscap
PeterLatchfordsBelly
10:59 on
10 August, 2014
Slovenia is 4 places below Scotland in the Uefa rankings. Losing to Maribor after the miracle of Legia truly would be Lawwell’s disgrace. Sadly that’s exactly what I expect to happen.
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You`re probably not a hun,but would it bother you to know that that is precisely what one would expect a hun to say?
Would that bother you?
Expunge the negativists,ya bass.
JFH
We don’t care if we win, lose or draw.
But only if the team gives 100%
1-0 Liverpool , Sturridge
Raberto67…….cheer’s for the Lubo montage,brightened
up a grey Sunday.
• The Green Man
12:09 on 10 August, 2014
Big joe
Have derk, amido, or rogic improved
Has pukki or leigh griff improved?
HH
Not having a go mate…………………….
Just saying there is 2 sides to every argument………………..
OpendiscussionsareGood
Delaneys Dunky
12:08 on
10 August, 2014
Afternoon,
Went through to the game from Blantyre, so a relatively short journey compared the the lads from South Wales. As we drove back through and passed many supporters buses from various parts of Scotland and beyond my thoughts also were on watching some of our players who were not giving 100% and how unworthy that performance was on our great support.
Still to make up my mind on our manager, think it is too soon to make any judgement. However the nature of the display on Wednesday and lack of application by some of the players on the night is very worrying and brings in to question at this stage the managers authority.
If there is disharmony inside the dressing room, and some players are not giving 100% this needs to be sorted out very quickly, or else we will have no chance against Maribor.
Dan
2-0 Liverpool , Lovren
If it wasnt for people asking questions, and being quite rightly critical of plc inadequacy.
We would still be run by the Kelly/White dynasties.
Shhhh
Dont rock the boat.
Back of the bus.
HH
Best of luck to big Fraser…. I didn’t realise until this blog about his fitness and training regime – hope he gets his just rewards with a memorable career
Good to see he made it clear how much the club wanted him to stay… like a long list of players who have left in the past couple of years, its the player who made the decision to go, to further their careers… can’t blame them for that, and there is nothing the club can do about it in these situations
Jungle Jam
Magic bro, thanks. :)
Look forward to see you on Saturday.
Hail Hail
• THE EXILED TIM
12:19 on 10 August, 2014
Big Joe
Sorry for the late reply, was oot with the dugs.
No, I am the other side of the sieras, the nearest town is a place called Baza, deep in cave land, magic so it is >}
HH
Ok……………………… got you mate, your not as far away then as I thought, Baza is on the Granada road…………..
You aver venture up north a bit……………….
Were south of Torreveija……………………
There was another Celt in this area, met him one time, and for the life of me I cant remember his name,
Lived in Mazoron or close to it………………
?????????????????????????
Looks like the Tonev deal is a goer a seasons loan with an option to buy at the end of it. H.H.
Snake Plissken
11:17 on
10 August, 2014
Celtic Underground @celticrumours 1m
Rumours in Edinburgh that talks have taken place between Celtic and Hibs about griffiths going to Easter road on loan.
If true, what the hell is going on?
==================================================================
If not true,what the hell is going on?
90’000 Dortmund fans at a training day !! That’s only 0.1% of the follow following of the Global brand that is Zombie Sevconia !!
Now that’s what you call a support ;)
Don’t you just love the world according to the Chucky Green Man of the Peepul ;)