David Forde

[geysir]

You are probably right with regards the Manchester clubs but lets not forget Forster is currently the challenger in waiting for Harts England number one spot. He could comfortably play for a Premiership side, outwith the top few sides perhaps. It just whether a vacancy arises.

Anyway, Fordes connection with Celtic is probably more to do with him being Irish than anything Lennon has seen in him that he likes.

Just 'cause he's from Lurgan that's no reason to regard him as an idiot

He's the manager of a profile football club, I doubt he'll go after a player that he doesn't think will do the required job he's been signed to do.
It's not the 7 a side in the school yard where the fat kid is picked last, ' go in goals fatso, and do your best'.
Or, is Celtic as ramshackle a club, led by a total idiot, as you would have us believe?

[ArdeeBhoy]

I think he'd fit in well there. Particularly if Celtic succeed in prising David Forde away, Forster will be surplus to requirements.

You are joking. Forster's not that good, but he's a Premiership keeper, whereas Forde is a Championship one and definitely the next level down, regardless of nationality. He's definitely SPL level, but Celtic have loftier ambitions (hopefully to return to the CL!) and whilst Junior is right about no like-for-like replacements, Forde just doesn't cut it for me on the basis of his club performances.

Incidentally, according to the BBC 'Gossip Column', Forster's even been linked with Barca, on the basis of his performance(s) v. them.
Personally don't think he's a top CL player, but definitely good enough to play in it or the EPL etc.

[Charlie Darwin]

You are joking. Forster's not that good, but he's a Premiership keeper, whereas Forde is a Championship one and definitely the next level down, regardless of nationality. He's definitely SPL level, but Celtic have loftier ambitions (hopefully to return to the CL!) and whilst Junior is right about no like-for-like replacements, Forde just doesn't cut it for me on the basis of his club performances.

Incidentally, according to the BBC 'Gossip Column', Forster's even been linked with Barca, on the basis of his performance(s) v. them.
Personally don't think he's a top CL player, but definitely good enough to play in it or the EPL etc.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Ah, misread your post...

[Junior]

Just 'cause he's from Lurgan that's no reason to regard him as an idiot

He's the manager of a profile football club, I doubt he'll go after a player that he doesn't think will do the required job he's been signed to do.
It's not the 7 a side in the school yard where the fat kid is picked last, ' go in goals fatso, and do your best'.
Or, is Celtic as ramshackle a club, led by a total idiot, as you would have us believe?

Sorry Geysir, perhaps my post was misleading, what I meant was the Celtic link probably has no grounds. i.e. a tabloid has put 'Forster likely to leave' + 'A.N.Other Irish Goalkeeper' = Celtic Replacement. I'm not sure if Lennon has even had time to take a look at Forde - would he be in the top 5 likely replacements from Britain for example? No idea.....

Still - I do like to read your take on things - always raises a smile

[geysir]

You are joking. Forster's not that good, but he's a Premiership keeper, whereas Forde is a Championship one and definitely the next level down, regardless of nationality. He's definitely SPL level, but Celtic have loftier ambitions (hopefully to return to the CL!) and whilst Junior is right about no like-for-like replacements, Forde just doesn't cut it for me on the basis of his club performances.

Incidentally, according to the BBC 'Gossip Column', Forster's even been linked with Barca, on the basis of his performance(s) v. them.
Personally don't think he's a top CL player, but definitely good enough to play in it or the EPL etc.

You're implying that the BBC gossip column has some standing, it just repeats gossip from all other sources, unfiltered.

A top CL player means to be amongst the best in the world. No, Forster is not the amongst the best in the world.
Furthermore, there is no one EPL standard, probably there are some 6 or 8 of the best goalies in Europe there and the rest are of a very good standard. Pretty much a similar situation to the other top leagues in Europe. Forster is a very good goalie who still has to iron out a few issues. He is is definitely good enough to compete in the CL for any team, but if a top cl team needs a goalie they will have have a selection of the best goalkeepers to choose from. Barca will want a goalie who can also play football, that rules out Forster.
Offhand I'd say Forde is not in the age band and a Celtic standard goalie would be of the bottom 2/3 of the EPL goalies. I'd hazard a guess that Celtic would be looking for a replacement for Forster using a similar strategy that unearthed Forster, a good promising young goalie age 23 who is too good for the epl bench but not good enough yet to depose the nr.1.

[DannyInvincible]

Top save by Forde against Wigan at the weekend:

[ArdeeBhoy]

To geysir's last post, well yeah...
An average EPL team would be happy to have him, say Swansea or Villa maybe, but doubtful how much better he'll get.

Similarly with Forde who has improved, but whereas say FF is in the top 20 keepers in Britain, DF is in the top 40 or 50, which is very good, but not enough for Celtic's CL, erm, 'ambitions'.

[Charlie Darwin]

What are Celtic's ambitions?

[SkStu]

Ah ArdeeBhoy.

Look, he is easily good enough for Celtic and their CL ambitions which I presume is generally not to get hockeyed in every game, win the odd one and get past group stages every once in a while. If he can accomplish this against the likes of Germany, Sweden and Austria in an Irish jersey, then he can do similar as the Celtic #1. You say yourself he's very good. Indeed, you couldn't reasonably say the same about every current Celtic player.

[ArdeeBhoy]

These days, not much Chas. Well in the CL. Probably getting into the competition proper and then into the last 16 is as far as it goes.

Anything more will take a lot of cash and lot more football acumen than NL IMO.

That said, last year exceeded/raised expectations...

[ArdeeBhoy]

Look, he is easily good enough for Celtic and their CL ambitions which I presume is generally not to get hockeyed in every game, win the odd one and get past group stages every once in a while. If he can accomplish this against the likes of Germany, Sweden and Austria in an Irish jersey, then he can do similar as the Celtic #1. You say yourself he's very good. Indeed, you couldn't reasonably say the same about every current Celtic player.

Wrong and right. Seriously, he's no better than our reserve keeper, Zaluska.

And we do have some complete duds when it comes to the squad, who seemed to have been signed on the basis of reputation, nothing else.
Who are probably the next level down from Forde.

[Charlie Darwin]

These days, not much Chas. Well in the CL. Probably getting into the competition proper and then into the last 16 is as far as it goes.

Yeah, but top 20 in Britain? That means he'd be as good as the bottom goalkeeper in the Premier League or, realistically, when the top clubs have two quality keepers, closer to mid-table first choice. Surely that's unrealistic when Championship clubs can and have outbid you for players. Like, is Forster much better than Westwood? Or Myhill?

[ArdeeBhoy]

They would only outbid on wages and unless they had a phobia, even Celtic on a bad day is more prestigious than all the Championship. Not sure many could outbid on wages, maybe ex-EPL clubs with 'parachute' money.
And yeah Forster, probably based on the dubious criteria of now being Eng's 2nd.choice keeper, is better than Myhill and Westwood. Reckon he's good enough for the bottom half of the EPL. Know he's already also been linked with a return to Newcastle if Krul leaves, but even then there was doubt about being able to afford his potential wages.

Forde can aspire to this standard, but don't see him ever being linked with a EPL or CL club, well no-one who's serious, anyway.

[Charlie Darwin]

Well I'm sure they could outbid on wages but I'd have thought the carrot of being promoted to the Premier League was also a carrot. By contrast, Hooper and Wanywama aside, EPL teams don't seem to recruit much from Scotland.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Maybe, but part of the problem has been the SPL has not been producing many decent players in recent years, but Dundee Utd are about to change all that...

[tetsujin1979]

Celtic haven't really signed players coming into the end of their careers in recent years, their policy has been very much to sign promising young players from lower divisions, develop and then sell them on at a profit.

[geysir]

It's a big opportunity for Forde to leave Millwall on a free and negotiate a sweet contract to end out his playing days. He's earned it.


Available on a Bosman and signing the last pro contract of your career, what would you choose to do if your feet were big enough to fit in Forde's boots? Considering you have done reasonably well as a pro, maybe have had a £250k salary with Millwall, but there's a mortgage, 3 kids to raise, a missus who has ambitions to move house again and the fan belt just snapped on your nr 1 car. You can't trade in the missus for a cheaper version.

A 2 year £1.3m p/a contract with an epl club, with no guarantee of 1st team football,
or a 2 year contract with a championship club, but at a lower £600,000p/a, with an added perk of being Ireland's nr 1.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Hmm, take the money...and hope for the best on the international front!

[geysir]

Hmm, take the money...and hope for the best on the international front!

And seriously reduce your chances of playing for Ireland to a mere hope.
Shame on you, I'm sure Lawro would have given up just about anything to stay in the game a little longer and be able to play for Ireland at Euro 88.
Lawro wouldn't have chosen a hope and a prayer over a first team spot.

Myself, I'd be tempted by the extra wealth but knowing that the extra would be spent before it was saved, I'd chose the team that needed me to play for the first team.