NO, ADAM IDAH CELTIC DEPARTURE ISN’T IMMINENT
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
Hmm, another day, another rumor linking a supposedly unhappy Celtic player with a move away from the club.
Remind me what happened on the pitch yesterday?
Oh, that’s right Rangers “Hibs-ed it”, against Hibs funnily enough, meaning Celtic can win the league next weekend.
So, in the absence of any good news whatsoever emanating from the cavernous walls of Snake Mountain, the media, predictably, goes for plan B. Let’s unsettle a Celtic player with some self-created negativity.
No Evidence that Idah Wants to Leave Celtic
Yesterday The Daily Record chose to run yet another irresponsible headline. “Adam Idah Tipped for Celtic Transfer Exit”.
Now, look at this headline on it’s own, what does it suggest to you?
You probably think, that’s Idah or his agent trying to agitate for a move away.
However, much like yesterday’s non-story about Luis Palma, it’s another case of hopeful anti-Celtic agents in the press choosing to see a narrative that isn’t there, from a source that isn’t connected to the player or his representatives.
The source in question was Scott Allan, himself a promising player of the past who ultimately didn’t make the grade at Celtic. Allan was giving his opinion on Radio Clyde’s Super Scoreboard football show.
Allan’s comments on their own, which he offered merely as a personal opinion, not a quotable news source, are actually pretty innocuous. He simply made the point that Idah isn’t going to start games while Daizen Maeda remains in such electrifying form as Celtic’s main striker.
However, he also pointed out that Idah has scored 15 goals in 45 appearances for Celtic. Not a bad return for the average striker, but again it pales compared to Maeda.
It doesn’t however take into account Idah’s return in terms of goals per minutes spent on the park. The vast majority of his 28 league appearances this season have been as a substitute.
His total minutes spent on the park, in the league, is 1325. In that time, he’s scored 8 league goals. So, that averages out to 0.54 goals per 90 minutes or an average of just under a goal every 2 games.
This places him in the top 3 percent of Scottish Premiership players in terms of attacking contributions.
Again, statistics, much like quotes can often be spun however you like to create either a negative or positive view. It’s just strange how whenever the Daily Record or the S*n have something to say about Celtic or one of our players, they invariably lean towards the negative stats and discard the positive ones.
It’s also important to place Scott Allan’s comments in their full context.
Again, like other sources the Daily Record has tried to hijack to impose their own editorial agenda in recent weeks, I don’t believe Allan meant to be in any way disparaging to Celtic or to Idah personally.
Here’s what he actually said: “I think for Adam Idah personally, he has to be playing games and more minutes to improve. There's no question of that.
“For me, long-term Adam Idah will have to move away to get regular football”
Emphasis on long-term. We only signed Idah 9 months ago, He is an ambitious, but still young striker. He is still learning.
He’ll want to give it at least one more year at Celtic to see if he can make that breakthrough.
I believe that was the point Scott Allan was trying to make. A point lost on the Daily Record in their eternal question for sensationalism and attention-grabbing at Celtic’s expense.
The Record also plays up the fact that Idah was, at 9 million pounds, one of Celtic’s most expensive signings ever.
That’s not the player’s fault. Indeed, it could be argued Celtic would have got him for a lot cheaper had we done the deal sooner and not dithered on minutiae.
That’s beyond Idah’s control however. He doesn't set his own price, or the unfair expectations that come with it.
He proved crucial in winning us the double last season. I think he’s earned a little time to settle in.
Unfortunately, time, patience and humility are virtues that won’t get you anywhere at the Daily Record’s sports desk.