Fraser Forster and Andy Carroll

[loonyTOON 10]

Last night, I had a conversation with Zander Diamond (Aberdeen Centre-Back) about Andy Carroll and Fraser Forster. First of all, I asked what he thought to £35 mil+ for Andy Carroll, and he said that they were shocked about this. He used an example of Gary Hooper for Celtic. The boy who is younger than Carroll was at Scunthorpe before Celtic and scored 43 Goals in 80 appearances, Hereford United on loan scoring 11 goals in 19 appearances and finally Celtic, having 14 appearances and 11 goals. Now he said that it was the SPL, but for him to be worth £2.4 million and Carroll who has not netted as many, to be worth £35 mil + is crazy. He said that no way is Andy Carroll worth that kind of money.

 

And onto Fraser Forster, we have high hopes for him. I asked him how good Fraser actually is, and he said that he's good, but not as good as Boruc. So this got me thinking (especially on how good Boruc actually was ), is he as good as we think he is? Or are we likely to need to look elsewhere for the future.

 

Just thought I would share this.

[KeithJ 0]

On the point about Hooper, Yes, I agree to an extent however you cant compare Hooper to Carroll as Hooper hasnt done anything close to EPL level. The other thing about Carroll is he has this talent of being completely unplayable at the top level due to his strong and very robust nature. I think Hooper would be a good player to take a chance on however I would point out that goals in the SPL dont really amount to much due to the poor standard of the league. I think the vast majority agree that Andy Carroll has been over valued. I said upon his England debut that he was worth £12mil for no other reason than he had played for England.

 

There was another player who had scored 11 league goals by December, had scored against the top teams and that was coming after a very fruitful haul of goals in the championship. He was also aged 22 and got his first England cap.... Michael Ricketts!

 

As regards to Fraser, very good goal keeper and has some natural attributes to be a fine goalkeeper however he needs to sort his attitude out as regards to how good he thinks he is. I personally think Celtic will try to sign him permanently at the end of the season. Which is ashame as I think him and Krul would be good for each other.

[Holden McGroin 4847]

Forster is about 8 years away from reaching his peak anyway. Definitely keep.

[ewerk 26282]

Can't see Forster being happy about coming back and sitting on the bench.

[Phil 6]

If he can get games at Celtic they can keep him on loan for the next few years. He's a big unit and will have plenty of suitors. If Norwich get promoted I'd ship him back to them.

[ScottishToon 0]

No offence to the boy but Zander Diamond is shit.

[Holden McGroin 4847]

Great name though.

[loonyTOON 10]

No offence to the boy but Zander Diamond is shit.

 

Oh we told him that! He was singing Celtic songs

[Guest LeazesLad]

Fraser Forster is making waves in the Old Firm goldfish bowl, as he explains to Chief Sports Writer MARK DOUGLAS in an exclusive interview.

 

NEWCASTLE United’s towering talent Fraser Forster intends to return to Tyneside this summer armed with more than just a new-found appreciation of haggis and Irn-Bru.

 

Targeting his second straight league winners’ medal – this time with Glasgow giants Celtic after League One triumph with Norwich – the Hexham- born 22-year-old is enjoying the ultimate footballing education away from St James’ Park and United’s coveted No 1 jersey.

 

A total of 27 games down in a loan spell that will now extend past the business end of the SPL season, Forster has overcome reservations about his tender years by displaying a temperament and talent that has earned him unequivocal first-choice status at Parkhead.

 

Granted, a rash sending off in the Old Firm Scottish Cup clash a fortnight ago goes down as a set-back for the calm and collected keeper, but he will attack it with the same ‘no fear’ mantra that has already marked him out as one of this country’s outstanding young talents.

 

“This has been one of the best years of my life, to be honest,” he said. “Newcastle are my club, the team that I supported as a boy, but Celtic are just absolutely massive.

 

“I don’t think I really realised how big a club it was until I arrived here. And then when I played in my first Old Firm game I probably fully understood what it meant to be Celtic’s goalkeeper.

 

“I remember standing at Ibrox in the last league game with 10,000 Celtic fans behind me singing ‘I just can’t get enough’. Those games are seriously special, and even better if you win them – like we did in that one.

 

“It is just invaluable experience for a young goalkeeper. If you’re going to go out on loan, you can’t ask for two much bigger clubs than the two I’ve been at recently.

 

“Everything I am doing here is giving me experience and helping me to become a better goalkeeper and a more mature person. Playing games was always going to be essential and after what happened at Norwich last year, I didn’t want to go back on the bench – I wanted to push my career forward.

 

“And it has been everything I was looking for. I’ve even managed to get a taste for haggis and Irn-Bru, although I probably shouldn’t admit that . . .”

 

The Scottish cuisine aside, it is an apprenticeship that has whetted his appetite for first-team football as well as leaving Alan Pardew with a dilemma almost as imposing as Forster’s 6ft 7in frame.

For while the Newcastle boss insists the former Royal Grammar School pupil will be back on Newcastle’s books at the end of the season to fight it out with Steve Harper and Tim Krul, it will be difficult to calm the ambition that rages inside someone who has performed with such aplomb in front of 60,000 fervent Celts.

 

Fraser Forster is making waves in the Old Firm goldfish bowl, as he explains to Chief Sports Writer MARK DOUGLAS in an exclusive interview.

 

So does Forster – currently part of a backline with the best defensive record in the UK – really anticipate coming back to Newcastle at the end of the season to play third fiddle to Krul and Harper?

Illustrating an admirable amount of diplomacy, Forster shows that he is a safe pair of hands in more than one way with his skilful answer.

 

“To be honest I need to look at my next game as a priority, and that next game is for Celtic,” he said.

“I will worry about Newcastle when I get back there at the end of the season – that has to be my approach. I’m here until the end of the season and then it will be up to the manager. You can’t worry about it in February, can you?

 

“I suppose Newcastle are a bit special in that we’ve got so many great keepers on the books. That competition is brilliant to have because it brings out the best in us and Steve Harper is such a top man for the club.

 

“He is a brilliant keeper and is always there with advice when you need it.

 

“I am intending to come back and see the lads and talk to the manager in the next few weeks and I have spoken to (keeper coach) Andy Woodman a few times – he’s great and very supportive as well.”

 

Forster has embraced life in Glasgow, eagerly exploring the shops, galleries and restaurants of the city’s famous West End on his various days off.

 

While many other loan players would scuttle back to see friends and family at the earliest opportunity, Forster is happy to sample the best of the west – including an Italian restaurant that makes a Margherita pizza to die for.

 

“Obviously Newcastle is my home and I love the city, but Glasgow is an incredible place and I love living here,” he said. “It rains a bit too much but it is fantastic to walk around and see the sights – the West End is very nice.

“There are great restaurants and it is brilliant for shopping too.

“It is similar to Newcastle because it is a great, lively place that lives for football. You get stopped everywhere you go and with two teams in the same city, the rivalry is just intense.”

 

So how good can Forster be? Those in the know believe that if he maintains his current rate of progress, the England senior set up is not beyond him.

 

Not bad for a lad who only became a goalkeeper at the age of 13. A deft hand at rugby and cricket too, it was a late growth spurt that set him apart from his peers – literally.

 

“I was never the tallest until later in my teens and then when I hit 15 or 16 I started growing and didn’t really stop!

“I got into the Academy and I remember signing a new contract when Kevin Keegan was at the club. They always just told me to work hard and keep my head down, which was exactly what I have tried to do.

 

“I know people will talk about Newcastle and England and all of that stuff because that is what happens with young English goalkeepers, but my focus is being the best I can here and not letting anyone down.”

It seems Newcastle’s giant talent remains admirably grounded.

 

FRASER FORSTER heads back into the Old Firm cauldron this afternoon braced for more “pure hatred”.

Forster’s Celtic host city rivals Rangers at noon with the SPL title race delicately poised.

Neil Lennon’s men have a five-point advantage but have played two more games the second-placed Gers, placing huge emphasis on today’s clash.

 

And for the 22-year-old loan keeper, it is also an opportunity to make up for being sent off when the two sides met a fortnight ago in a fifth-round Cup clash.

 

“The atmosphere is just something else,” he said.

“It is hard to explain without really experiencing it.

“At home the atmosphere was just amazing, and then when we went to their place and won 2-0 away from home it just notched it up another level.

“There were 40,000 people getting into it – it was just pure hatred, to be honest.

“But when we got in front and beat them, the whole place went quiet apart from the Celtic supporters.

“I’ve never experienced anything like it in terms of atmosphere.

“These games obviously have the historic edge to them, but to us they’re just about football and, with the league so tight, the games become absolutely massive.”

 

Celtic are looking to break two seasons of Rangers dominance in the league, and Forster believes they have got the right man for the job.

 

“Neil Lennon is a fantastic manager to work for,” he said.

“Obviously he played under Martin O’Neill and he’s learned a lot from him.

 

“I know Neil looks as manic as Martin did on the sidelines but he has another side to his management style as well.

“He can be cool, calm and collected, but he can also shout and let you know if you’ve done wrong.

“He is a very good young manager – one of the best.”

 

Seems to be getting a bit cosy up there like to say the least. Interesting his comparisons considering he's never even played at SJP, or even played for the first team. Is he that good? Fuck knows. His kicking is shit I know that much, he's got presence, but you could stick anyone in Celtic's goal and they'd get clean sheets more often than not. I never saw him in the reserves, but I know smoggeordie used to tell me he was mediocre at best when he used to see him up Kingston Park and at the academy.

[Christmas Tree 3997]

Nice interview and good on the lad.

[Barney 0]

Norwich fans expect him to go on to be England keeper, should his kicking improve. Hope he comes back for competition anyway.

[Guest LeazesLad]

He's just dropped an absolutely massive clanger 2 mins in to the game, Motherwell a goal up his fault fucking my bet up, hesitant should've cleaned everything out and fucked about. I'll be honest I don't want him anyway after his Celtic arselicking last week. Get him tae fuck as they say up there.