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Last night, Idah delivered for Celtic and looked every inch a European level striker.

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Image for Last night, Idah delivered for Celtic and looked every inch a European level striker.

Last night was never going to be the easiest night of Adam Idah’s football career. He was under a lot of pressure. There were a lot of eyes on him. He was expected to show up and do a good job in almost unbelievably tough circumstances. Everyone in the Scottish media, in particular, was waiting for him to fail. He did not fail.

It’s probably fair to say that this is the best we’ve seen Adam Idah play. He saved his best performance for the biggest stage and for the moment when Celtic was in the greatest need. There was nothing about his performance last night that wasn’t brilliant. His running, his hold-up play, his timing—perfection, all of it. One example in the second half, where he got away from a marker to get a shot on target after timing his run beautifully, was notable because it was the kind of moment where you might have seen Kyogo go a little bit early and get caught offside.

I’ve heard truly horrendous things about Idah over the last few weeks and months, much of it from our own supporters who weren’t convinced—until last night—that we had any kind of player at all on our hands.

This, in spite of having watched the same player last season come into the club and play a massive role in winning us the title. My mate, who I was with for the game last night, is 100 percent convinced that without Idah, there would have been no title last season, and I’m inclined to agree.

For many months now, I’ve been saying that we didn’t pick this guy out of a hat. He was here, the manager and the coaches had a good look at what he can do, and they know that he has quality.

I was also firmly of the conviction that all he needed to get his head up and start playing in the manner we know he’s capable of was a goal. In fact, it didn’t even take a goal—it took a deflection.

Those who claim it was embarrassing for him to have claimed the Young Boys goal missed the point entirely. Without his perfectly executed run, there is no goal. That belongs to him, even if it’s not officially on the books. And anyone still thinking it’s embarrassing should reconsider now that we can see clearly how much that moment has lifted his confidence.

I’ll tell you how good his performance was last night—playing against top-class players in a top-class team from the English Premier League, he looked like a player who belongs at that level. He looked like the kind of player a good Premier League attacking team would sign and get a lot of joy out of. The Norwich City reserve, as some have foolishly branded him, was gone. In his place was a footballer could have played for any top team in this competition. Not exactly a waste of money.

I know some of the bean-counter brigade have worried that we overspent and wouldn’t make any kind of profit on Adam Idah. But if he keeps playing like that, I can see teams of real quality coming in for him, making those concerns look ridiculous.

Because everything he did last night made him look like a player of the very highest calibre indeed. His presence scared their defence. His alertness meant they didn’t get a minute’s peace. His running left them looking static at times and he took both of his goals beautifully. That our last three goals in this competition have come from him makes it all the more baffling that anyone ever doubted him.

Because he delivered in those moments again and again last season. He got huge goals that won games late. He got a massive goal at Ibrox, which should have given us three points. And at Hampden in the cup final, he was there in the critical moment to get the ball past the Ibrox keeper and into the back of the net. When a guy has done all that, how can anyone believe we made a mistake in signing him?

Well, last night, he put that talk to bed once and for all.

A Champions League-level performance—that’s what we got last night at Villa. It wasn’t a rehabilitation—that belonged to Reo Hatate—but an affirmation of what people should already have known about this big guy: that he is a great player and he’s going to be a huge asset for this club.

We still need a striker. The Celtic board should not be able to hide behind this performance as an excuse for dragging their feet. But I have no fears about this big guy anymore. He’s got his mojo back. And now that he has, well this is a player who’s going to do damage, real damage, for us in the rest of this campaign.

Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images

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14 comments

  • Jay says:

    Excellent performance now he just needs to work on consistency & deliver at a good level for the rest of the season.
    He has proved his worth to the club again last night but he needs to deliver domestically now too.
    I think most of the criticism was valid some was ott. It seems almost that Idah performs at his best on the big occasion (CL, cup finals & critical league games i.e. the run in last season)
    But recently he hasn’t been just missing chances he wasn’t getting to the chance in the first place. I think as you say though the goal last week is what has let him kick on now & hopefully he can continue on for the rest of the season.

  • Kevcelt59 says:

    He did really well last night and deserves every bit of credit. In recent games, for a lot of our support, maself included, he just hasn’t been showin enough for an out and out striker, so cannae really be blamed for harbourin any doubts.. Tho ah wouldn’t have written him off, it’s fair tae say, he still had a bit tae prove and tho last night was the perfect reply and ahm well pleased for the big man, he still has. Disagree tho, you sayin it was idah who won us the league. Definitely played a part, tho ah think James Forrest did a lot at a really important stage with his goals. Hope these goals give him the confidence he needs tae go on from here. If they get a proven striker in with him, we’ll have a very formidable front line as well as a very strong bench.

  • Clachnacuddin and the Hoops says:

    I – AM – FUCKIN – DELIGHTED – FOR – ADAM – IDAH !

  • EBhoys88 says:

    Glad for Idah was some amount of muppets of a Celtic persuasion giving him unnecessary shit .a fool could see what a good player Adam is after winning the league and cup for us last season. All you got to do is give him chances and he puts them away. Lack of game time and lack of good balls in to him is the only reason he hasn’t been scoring as much lately. Put a brace against a pl club in your pipe and smoke it you doubting Thomas

    • Kevcelt59 says:

      @ EBhoy Who the fuck are you tae call anybody a doubtin Thomas. Did ye actually read what ah said properly. Can tell ye, there are plenty of us who think the same about Idah’s form. Aye, he’s scored some important goals, includin those 2 last night, tho that doesnae suddenly make him a top striker. Tho maybe your’e able tae ‘spot’ a player better than most of us eh ? Never mind ‘bad balls’ bein given tae him. There have been plenty of good opps he’s had and shouldve done better, that’s fact. If he can keep gettin the goals and sustain his form, then he’ll have proved himself. Hopefully more game time’ll help that. Won the league for us ? Don’t talk shite. There were a few main contributors, no just the one player.

  • pauliecelt says:

    Delighted for big Adam last night.

    A lot of the criticism is down to the £9 we paid for him, which is not his fault.
    Undoubtedly we overpaid given the circumstances – Nowich didn’t want him, the Norwich fans were booing him, he didn’t want to be there, no other club was going to pay that fee.
    A combination of fan impatience and an injury to Kyogo ment we blinked first and lost inspite of Norwichs bad poker hand.
    I think hes up to 10 goals this season which is decent given his game time. Hopefully he kicks on now and if he continues last nights form he’ll be a huge asset to us.

  • Dan says:

    Really impressed with Idah’s pace, don’t get much big guys who can motor like he does. It would be great to get another striker in but it surely cannot be close to the glaring priority which to me is to stop losing schoolboy goals

  • peterbrady says:

    He is only at 70% wait till he gets up to full speed I told you all stardust is for only the few special ones he is the real deal hail!hail!.

  • EBhoys88 says:

    Kevcelt who the fuck are you?? I never read anything you said because I never heard of you boy and I couldn’t care less what you say or think about anything. I’m entitled to my opinion the same as everyone else so stick it up your jumper kid

  • Gerry says:

    Delighted for big Adam and his overall performance last night ! Two wonderful goals, and the input from Hatate for both, was superb!

  • EBhoys88 says:

    Ps kevcelt go fuck yourself and don’t mention my name again you igonrent prick

  • Kevcelt59 says:

    @ EBhoy. Looked tae me like you were replyin tae my comment. If no, thats fine, my mistake. Aye everybody’s entitled tae an opinion. Tho callin Celtic supporter muppets and doubters, because they don’t agree with your opinion, you’re the ignorant ( or as you say igonrent) prick. A tribute tae indifferent spelling techniques right there. And believe me, yer mouthy reply doesnae work either. No really gettin anywhere this, is it. We disagree, leave it at that.

    • EBhoys88 says:

      I thought I told you don’t mention my name again. Your right though it was your mistake. You thought I was talking about you so you thought you could troll me with your shit. Think a little harder next time before shooting your mouth off .hard man behind your keyboard. Highlighting a spelling mistake I made.its called predictive text you child. You can bearly speak english youself.We definitely don’t agree.i couldn’t care less if you were dead or alive let’s leave it at that.

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