Latest news with #CraigForsyth
BBC News
05-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'You have to dream' - veteran Forsyth eyes new Derby heights
Six years ago, Craig Forsyth feared his career could be three years ago, he was concerned for Derby County's existence as the club crumbled financially around him and dropped into League One for the first time in 36 now, as the 36-year-old approaches his 13th full season at Pride Park, the Rams' longest serving player is looking to reach new heights - the sort that have been painfully elusive in the past - with a club where he is affectionally known to fans as 'Mr Derby County'."Football is about setbacks, highs and lows and how you deal with them," Forsyth told BBC comes from a player who has managed to play 382 games for Derby despite losing several years of his career to knee the 21 months between November 2015 and August 2017, he managed only four appearances after twice suffering ligament damage to his right did the same to his left knee in 2018, and that cost him another 306 days on the sidelines. It was then that he questioned his future in the game."There were a few times, yeah," Forsyth responded when asked if he thought his career might have been ended by injury."It was probably with that last injury when you thought, 'is it time to call it a day?' "But it's all I've known since I left school and you are a long time retired, so I just thought 'don't give up on it and keep going'. "Thankfully I have managed to get another five or six years so far, and hopefully with a couple more to go." After battling back from those serious injuries, the former Scotland international endured the anxiety of administration and the gloom of relegation to League One, before the relief of promotion back to the leaves getting Derby back to the Premier League as about the only thing that the defender hasn't done in Rams black and in Forsyth's time at Pride Park, Derby have fallen just one win short of promotion to the top flight, losing the Championship play-off final at Wembley against Queens Park Rangers in 2014, and Aston Villa in 2019."It still hurts," Forsyth said of the 1-0 defeat by QPR that he started in 11 years ago."You always think, what if that game had gone the other way and we had got promoted? "There have certainly been opportunities missed. And that is what they are, opportunities to go up to the Premier League. Unfortunately for us, we didn't take them."And for us now it's about that next opportunity. Can we get another one to get there? That is what we are building for."His efforts in helping the East Midlands club narrowly avoid relegation back to League One last season saw the veteran rewarded with a new two-year deal that will keep him at Pride Park beyond his 38th if that new contract - which is also set up to help him gain his coaching qualifications - has allowed him to dare to dream again of reaching the Premier League with Derby, Forsyth replied: "Of course, you have to. "That is what everyone plays football for, to achieve their dreams and that is one thing that is still missing for me. "So to be able to do that would be the ultimate thing on the top of everything at the end of my career, so we will see what happens." 'Fozzy never going to let you down' The financial issues of the past - Forsyth admits there were times when the players "didn't know what was going on" during the 282 days the club spent in administration - means the Rams' Premier League aspirations are not bankrolled in the same record-breaking and near ruinous years of measured spending by owner David Clowes - the property developer that took the club out of administration and funded their return to the Championship - has allowed head coach John Eustace to spend millions of pounds to bolster his side after they narrowly beat the drop last while cash has been splashed on the likes of United States striker Patrick Agyemang, whose fee could rise to £7.3m, Eustace made sure one of the first bits of business done this summer was keeping Derby's oldest player on the books for a few more long has Forsyth been at the club that Eustace played the final game of his career alongside the defender with County a decade when Eustace returned as a head coach in February, he became the 11th full-time boss that Forsyth has worked under at Pride Park since first arriving on loan from Watford in 2013."Fozzy is a bit of a Derby County legend," Eustace told BBC East Midlands Today."He is a top professional and top performer still. He is never going to let you down."For Eustace, Forsyth delivered in a way that transformed the trajectory of Derby's entire had lost all of Eustace's first three matches in charge and failed to score a single Forsyth changed all that with the first goal of the Eustace era, which set the Rams up for a 2-1 victory against a promotion-chasing Blackburn Rovers that Eustace had left weeks earlier to take charge of relegation-threatened Derby."For everyone in the stadium and on pitch, it was just a relief to get that first goal and that monkey off our back after not scoring for a few games," Forsyth recalled."And that sort of kick-started us and got us on the run that ultimately kept us up."Before that, Forsyth had struggled to hold down a starting spot. After it, he played every minute of the 10 remaining matches, and crucially set up a goal in their 2-2 draw with Portsmouth and the winner against Hull City as the Rams narrowly avoided the drop. "It was a bit close for comfort for us and it wasn't enjoyable at times," he said of their escape from relegation."It was tough and it was difficult, but everyone that was here has built that spirit from seeing it through and getting over the line in the end. And now it's about building upwards."
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Derby defender Forsyth signs new two-year deal
Craig Forsyth has signed a new two-year deal with Derby County, which will keep the defender at the Rams for a 14th season and see him play for them beyond his 38th Scot has made 382 appearances in 12 years with the East Midlands initially moved to Pride Park on loan from Watford in March 2013 before making the switch permanent later that was a team-mate of Derby manager John Eustace a decade was praised as an "unbelievable servant" of the club by Eustace at the end of the season after making 42 appearances as they avoided relegation from the Championship on the final new contract for the former Scotland international means his career will span more than 20 years, having made his professional debut for Dundee in November said the latest deal with the club would see them support him in getting his coaching qualifications.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Veteran defender Forsyth in talks over new Derby deal
Long-serving Derby County defender Craig Forsyth is in talks to remain with the Championship club beyond this 36-year-old has made 382 appearances in 12 years with the he and 23-year-old midfielder Liam Thompson are in discussions about renewing their contracts after the club avoided relegation on the final John Eustace, who had Forsyth as a team-mate while playing for Derby a decade ago, made his feelings about the defender clear after this month's season-ending draw with Stoke City."He has led by example, he is Derby through and through and he is someone I want to keep at the club for sure, next season," Eustace said in the post-match media conference."He has been an unbelievable servant for the football club. It's easy to write players off because of their age, and when you are used to having someone around you take them for granted."His performances at left centre-half before he had to change to left wing-back were very good." Meanwhile, Derby have released Tom Barkhuizen, Sonny Bradley, Tyrese Fornah, Jeff Hendrick, Rohan Luthra, Erik Pieters, Kemar Roofe and Conor played 22 times for the Rams this season, while Bradley spent the second half of the campaign on loan on at League One Wycombe, Fornah was at League Two Salford City for the whole season and goalkeeper Luthra ended the season on loan with non-league who failed to make an appearance on his return to the club, Roofe and Pieters all leave after signing on short-term deals to see out the campaign at Pride Park.
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Scotsman
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
The forgotten Scotland 'beanpole' internationalist whose fans want statue built for him
Forsyth rapidly earning legend status at Derby - but will he get new deal? Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... When is a free agent not a free agent? When his name is Craig Forsyth. Permitted to talk to other teams since January, Derby County's Scottish full-back is as close to a one-club man as can be found these days. There would be something close to insurrection if he was allowed to leave. When Forsyth made his full Scotland debut for Scotland ten years ago next month, it proved the end rather than the beginning of a career on the international stage. The four caps he earned in total stands in marked contrast to his Duracell Bunny existence at Derby, where he is going on and on and on and….well, that remains to be established at the time of writing. It might be their close season, but fans are checking news sites constantly for the latest on contract talks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Forsyth is the ultimate prophet in another land if the prophet is a slightly gangly 36-year-old with an accent now shaped by years of living in the East Midlands. Scotland internationalist Craig Forsyth continues to shine at Derby County. | Getty Images Back in his own native Scotland, where he hasn't played domestically since leaving Dundee aged just 22, some might wonder what all the fuss is about. His final appearance for Scotland was a reasonable performance in a ragged 1-1 draw against Republic of Ireland in Dublin, when he was informed so late that he was starting his parents were not able to make it over from Carnoustie in time. He hadn't necessarily been expected to start at left-back ahead of Andy Robertson, who was on the bench for the Euro 2016 qualifier that ended 1-1. At Hull City at the time, Robertson's subsequent success with Liverpool combined while Kieran Tierney's emergence helped consign Forsyth to the category of forgotten men of Scottish football despite remaining key men for their club (see also Barry Bannan and Callum Paterson at Sheffield Wednesday). Serious injury also knocked him off course not once, twice but three times. The injuries and longevity Even his own father, Stewart, is not completely certain of the details. 'He has missed about two-and- a-half years with his cruciate ligament injuries …is it two on his right and one on his left, or vice versa? I am not sure. He has just done really well to keep going.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stewart was an elegant full back in his own right for Dundee in the 1980s. Like his son, whose testimonial was a relatively low-key pre-season friendly against Stoke City two years ago, he wasn't the type to bang his own drum. Forsyth Senior slipped away from full-time football to join the police shortly before turning 30, which was the cut-off point if one wanted to do so at the time. 'I probably did not have enough belief in myself, which was the reason I was quiet,' he says now. 'Craig is similar. But he has more believe than I had, justifiably so.' Craig Forsyth last played for Scotland in a 1-1 draw against Republic of Ireland in 2015. | SNS Group Although a fine, steady player, no one at Dens Park suggested they built a statue of Forsyth Snr when he left. Nor at Arbroath and Montrose, the other senior clubs he represented. Few would have imagined anyone talking about a statue, albeit slightly tongue-in-cheek, in relation to his son when Craig made the first of 382 (and possibly counting) Derby appearances one Tuesday night in Cardiff in 2013, having joined Nigel Clough's side initially on loan from Watford. Also in the side that night were Chris Martin, went onto become a Scottish international alongside Forsyth, and Connor Sammon, who scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw. Adam Legzdins, who now has an off the field management role at Dundee, was in goal. He recalls a '6ft 5in skinny beanpole' turning up in Cardiff to play – Forsyth had driven himself to Wales when the deal went through and ran himself into the ground at left wing-back before being replaced after 71 minutes. "No one might have predicted he would be there so long then, but he settled in immediately," says Legzdins. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Keeping Derby County royalty Only 30 players have made over 300 appearances for Derby. Forsyth is one of only two to have done so since the 1990s. He edged past Colin Todd when making his 372nd appearance in March for sole possession of 16th place in the all-time list. Archie Gemmill's total of 404 games is now in his sights. If he signs for another year at least he will, fitness permitting, likely enter the top ten. As one fan commented on X: 'Don't actually want to think about a time when Craig Forsyth doesn't play for Derby …sign him up and build the statue!' An episode of the RamsTalk podcast was calling for this in late 2022. If anything, he has only burnished his reputation since then. Of course, a Scot already occupies a plinth outside the Pride Park Stadium. Dave Mackay led Derby to their last English league title 50 years ago last month and is certainly deserving of such an accolade – a new plaque was installed next to the statue before the victory over Blackburn Rovers in March, on the day Forsyth passed Todd's appearances total, with Mackay's wife Isobel and former teammates Charlie George and Roy McFarland in attendance. It was a reminder of better days at the club, with Derby only confirming their Championship status for another season on the final day last weekend. Nathaniel Phillips was the match winner in the hugely significant win over relegation rivals Hull City the previous weekend after a free-kick assist from ... Forsyth. Craig Forsyth started his career at Dundee. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 Manager John Eustace, who played with Forsyth at Derby (and Watford) when he was a player, has already intimated the veteran will be offered another deal. 'That is what he is hoping for,' says Forsyth's father, who adds that with his son due to go on holiday next weekend, the intention is to have everything settled before then. 'He certainly does not want to go anywhere else.' Supporters find it hard to conceive of a Forsyth-less Derby County. They lament he has not managed to play in the Premier League with them. Derby lost out in agonising fashion in the final against Queens Park Rangers at the end of his first full season in 2014. 'That's the one team, the Steve McClaren Derby team of around that time, who you could see coping (with the Premier League)', says Musselburgh-based Derby fan David Lee. 'You could see them bring in a couple of players and staying up. That was a real pivotal moment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney 'The fact Craig Forsyth is still there and has been through the trophy manager period – 'Frank Lampard's Derby County', 'Phillip Cocu's Derby County', 'Wayne Rooney's Derby County' - and outlasted all that carry on says it all. He's been to the play-offs, he has been to another play-off final, against Aston Villa, when they lost again to a John McGinn goal off his shoulder. He has had some big moments. But he has always been there through the real crises as well, through the administration (in 2021), through the points deduction and through the relegation to League One.
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Derby have fought for their chance to survive'
I'm pretty sure I won't be the only one who still hasn't quite recovered from afternoon of frustration, jangled nerves, and finally away end at Hull on Saturday was something I haven't experienced from a Derby crowd since we beat Leeds away in the play-off semi-final second leg under Frank Lampard in was like the Derby faithful knew something was on the horizon the moment we were awarded that and excitable cheers rang out from the away supporters as the referee blew his whistle and signalled for the kind of cheers you hear when your team are awarded a penalty, not a free-kick on the left Craig Forsyth's perfect cross, Nat Philips' perfect header, and the sold out corner of Derby County supporters' perfect celebrations proved we had every right to be strangers up off the ground after celebrating, hugging the person next to me who doesn't even know my name as the full-time whistle blew, screaming out chants in harmony with 2,286 others who all shared the same emotion, passion, desire, and prayers as each other for 94 special is football? Saturday's result makes survival chances much higher for the Rams…However, this is the Championship, and if there's any league that's guaranteed final day drama, it's this will have to make sure they keep their composure, execute the basics, and most importantly not let the occasion get the better of them, knowing full well that Stoke City also come to Pride Park with plenty of incentive to win the game been far from easy for Derby this season, with our fate still needing to be decided on the final day reinforcing this club has kept fighting, even when we looked down and out, seven points from safety and rock bottom of the table just eight weeks a turnaround it's been.I've been like a kid at Christmas waiting for this game to roll around, a rocking Pride Park, high-pressure moments, these are things you live for as a Jamie Thrasivoulou says in his 'We are Derby' poem: "We're resilience in the flesh, we've never settled for second best."Tomorrow if we refrain from being second best, Championship football is ours again next simple doesn't it!Fighters not victims, together as one, let's get the job can often catch Amelia Warren, external as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.
