“It might be them shoving me out the door,” James Forrest

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·9 agosto 2025

“It might be them shoving me out the door,” James Forrest

Celtic legend James Forrest spoke to the mainstream media on Thursday afternoon at Celtic Park ahead of the Hoops’ lunchtime trip to Pittodrie tomorrow…

James Forrest of Celtic. Celtic Training Session at Lennoxtown, 01 August 2025. Photo: Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock.

Jamesy also spoke to The Celtic Star at Thursday’s fan media conference and as ever he was in good form. Here is everything he said to the MSM.

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Q: How do you reflect on the end of last season, including winning the title but losing the Scottish Cup, and your personal achievements?

James Forrest: “I think overall we had a good season as a squad and as a team. The run in the Champions League was really good for the club and for the players to get experience in that. Obviously, the main goal every year is to win the league and try to win the cup games as well. Losing the cup final at the end of the season puts into perspective how many trophies we have won over the years and how difficult it is. Sometimes it goes to penalty shootouts; in one-off games, it can happen. I think it just keeps everyone working hard.”

James Forrest of Celtic. Celtic Training Session at Lennoxtown, 01 August 2025. Photo: Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock.

Q: What are your thoughts going into the new season, considering the “noise” from the other side of the city?

James Forrest: “Since I’ve been here, I think it’s the same every season, every game. The pressure is just always there. You feel it when you go away for pre-season games to different countries and play different teams. The pressure that comes with Celtic is always massive, and that’s from the supporters, the coaches, and the managers. I think that’s just how big the club is. It’s always striving to be the best, and I think that’s really good to be a part of.”

Q: With the Champions League coming up, is this the most exciting part of the season for you?

James Forrest: “Yes, it’s unbelievable. Obviously, for the last couple of years, we’ve gone straight into the Champions League, but I’ve been here when we’ve had to do three or four qualifiers. So it’s changed throughout my time here. We’re in the last qualifying round, and from previous experience, you know it’s going to be two hard games, home and away. We just need to make sure we start the season off strong. I think we have maybe two more games before the qualifiers, so we need to make sure everyone’s up to speed and ready to go.”

Cameron Carter-Vickers and James Forrest of Celtic walk up the Celtic Way ahead of the Celtic v St Mirren match in the Scottish Premiership, at Celtic Park, 03 August 2025. Photo I- Stuart Wallace IMAGO Shutterstock

Q: Do you feel the team has the capability to go further in the Champions League than you have in the past?

James Forrest: “I think if you look at last year, it was really good and exciting for the club and the players to get out of the group. I personally quite liked the new format; you play more teams and different teams. I think last year was good, and hopefully, we can build on that. Obviously, every year at Celtic, the important thing is winning domestically, because you don’t get into the Champions League without doing that right. So we need to make sure we’re focused on that as well.”

Q: What are your thoughts on the current strength of the squad’s front line?

James Forrest: “I think every year, every window I’ve been at Celtic, the club always signs players. I think we’ve signed maybe five or six already. The club has always done that. With the type of team we are, the fans will always want exciting wingers and strikers. Right now, we’ve looked good in pre-season, and the league has started well. As players, we just focus on our roles, and the manager and the club handle the transfers. We just work hard. We’ve looked good in pre-season, and there are still a couple of weeks left in the window, so we’ll see what happens.”

James Forrest of Celtic FC competes for the ball with of Al-Ahli SFC during the Como Cup match between Al-Ahli and Celtic FC at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on July 26, 2025 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Q: Do you relish the competition when new wingers arrive at the club?

James Forrest: “Yes, definitely. I’ve had that question for years, and I think competition for places is really healthy. I’ve always enjoyed different wingers coming in; you can learn from them, no matter their age or type of player. It’s also good for the coaches, with the number of games we play, to have good depth in the squad. We’ve always had players in my position that you can swap, and it’s been good over the years to compete.”

Q: How do you feel the squad depth is at the moment compared to previous successful seasons?

James Forrest: “It’s always hard to tell while the transfer window is still open. I think you can only get a really good gauge once the window’s shut. But the amount of quality international players we have at the club is at a really high level.”

James Forrest of Celtic Ajax v Celtic, Como Cup Pre Season Football, Football, Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como, Italy – 24 Jul 2025Como Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia Italy Photo Shutterstock

Q: Having experienced various Champions League qualification scenarios, do you feel the play-off round can be the most pressurised part of the campaign?

James Forrest: “Yes, I understand. It’s massive for the club, and all the players want to be involved in the Champions League, so it is really important. It is strange because sometimes your most important games are right at the very start of the season, maybe three games in. But once the games come around, we’ve done it before, and we’ll be ready to go.”

Q: Your contract is up at the end of this season. Have there been any discussions with the club about an extension?

James Forrest: “Every player is different. My situation has been good for me and the club over the years; it’s always worked well. But I’m getting older now, and I just want to enjoy it, keep working hard, and contribute to the team when I can. When that discussion comes, we’ll see. I just want to keep enjoying every day. I’ve loved it here, I’ve given everything to Celtic, and I want to continue to do that. It’s been a really good fit up to now, and I’m just going to keep enjoying it while it lasts.”

Sporting CP v Celtic – Pre-Season Friendly James Forrest of Celtic FC runs with the ball during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Sporting de Lisboa and Celtic FC at Estadio Algarve in Faro, Portugal, on July 16, 2025. Faro Portugal. Photo DAX Images

Q: Can you see yourself continuing at Celtic beyond this season?

James Forrest: “Yes, I really enjoy working hard in training and being involved with the boys, and I feel I can still contribute and help the team. Maybe once this season progresses, we’ll talk to the club. But for now, I just want to keep enjoying it and working hard.”

Q: When your time at Celtic ends, do you see yourself leaving football altogether, or playing on elsewhere?

James Forrest: “I’ll give everything to Celtic. If it comes to a point where I want to keep playing and they don’t want me, then I don’t know. But I love football; I’ve played it since I was a little boy, and I still love it now. I’ll continue to give everything to Celtic until my contract is up. It might be them shoving me out the door anyway, so we’ll see what happens.”

James Forrest and Bobby Lennox at Celtic Park. Photo Celtic FC

Q: As you enter the final year of your contract, did you have a sense of “this could be the last time” during the season opener and Flag Day?

James Forrest: “To be honest, I’ve maybe felt that for the last 18 months. I’ve really tried to take it in and enjoy it even more. With the pressure of every game, sometimes it’s hard to enjoy it because you know there’s another game in two or three days. So I have tried to really take it all in. Obviously, once I finish, I’ll look back and it has been a great time here, but hopefully, I can add to that before I finish.”

Q: As a footballer approaching the later stages of your career, what is the emotion like? Is it a scary feeling?

James Forrest: “I’ve thought about it a bit, and it is scary because you leave school at 15 or 16, and football is all you’ve ever known. I want to keep playing for as long as I can. It is scary. I’ve heard from loads of different players, including ones I’ve played with who have retired, and everyone goes down different paths after they finish. I don’t really know what I’ll do after, but it is scary because it’s what I’ve done for 20-odd years, and it’s been unbelievable.”

Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Q: Ahead of the Aberdeen match, is there a feeling of revenge after the cup final?

James Forrest: “No, I don’t think it’s revenge. Every time we play Aberdeen, especially up at Pittodrie, it’s always a hard game, and I think that rivalry is there anyway. It’s early in the season, and we want to continue our form and keep the momentum going. It’s all about us, focusing on ourselves, and trying to get the three points.”

Conor Spence

Conor Spence attended the Celtic fan media conference at Celtic Park on Thursday to represent The Celtic Star and to speak to Celtic legend James Forrest. Here’s the video…