Adam Idah

Well there's plenty of strikers who have came and gone at Celtic who haven't been able to convert the numerous chances they get. Idah has at least shown he can score fairly regularly and just needs to improve his consistency. Let's hope he scores in the next game and gets his confidence up.

 

Running channels now is what makes him first class? Interesting. He's absolutely bog standard at doing that as well. Granted we aren't helping any striker in our system at the moment with the limited options on the wings but still, its about as far away from "first class" from what I'd expect from a Celtic striker. Kyogo's movement was first class. For you to consider Idah in the same bracket is laughable.

I don't care who negotiated or sanctioned his transfer fee, its a colossal waste of money and we overpaid on him because our recruitment strategy is a disgrace.

His goal return is very easy to breakdown from last year. He came on as a substitute often and had the benefit of playing against tired teams. Being the stat expert you are can you check for me how many of his goals were scored off the bench when we were already winning comfortably? Because that's what I remember from Idah last season. He put in a good shift against Villa and took his goals well, I'll credit him for that performance. But you can count on one hand how many outstanding games he's had for us.

I think you'll find your objective view is well and truly obstructed by Idah's arsecheeks.

 

Would he and indeed the other strikers not benefit from an experienced striker on the coaching staff..?

I mean we have GK coaches seems to be me we should have an expert to help at the other end if the park.

 

Idah's goals last year

Slo. Bratislava 5:1 87' 5:1 Right-footed shot
Falkirk 5:2 CF 70' 2:2 Not reported
72' 3:2 Not reported (game changing goals)
St. Johnstone (10.) 0:6 83' 0:6 Right-footed shot
Motherwell FC (5.) 0:3 88' 0:3 Right-footed shot
Heart of Midl. (10.) 1:4 78' 0:3 Right-footed shot
90'+4 1:4 Penalty
Ross County (7.) 5:0 CF 40' 5:0 Right-footed shot
Aston Villa 4:2 CF 36' 2:1 Right-footed shot
38' 2:2 Right-footed shot (he was great that night)
Motherwell FC (5.) 1:3 CF 29' 1:2 Right-footed shot (game changing goal)
Dundee FC (7.) 6:0 CF 45'+1 2:0 Right-footed shot
Dundee United (3.) 3:0 CF 84' 3:0 Right-footed shot
Hibernian FC 2:0 90'+2 2:0 Not reported
St. Johnstone 0:5 CF 45' 0:3 Not reported
Dundee United (4.) 0:5 47' 0:3 Header
58' 0:5 Right-footed shot
Rangers (2.) 1:1 CF 57' 1:1 Right-footed shot (big goal for us)
Hibernian FC (3.) 3:1 CF 45' 2:1 Right-footed shot
Aberdeen FC (4.) 1:5 90'+4 1:5 Right-footed shot

The scores in green are the final scores and the results in black is the score after he scored.

You COULD argue the fact that he doesn't actually score many big goals for us

I'm literally talking about last year not the year previous with the cup final etc

From what I take from that is I think he's best as a SQUAD player but there is no chance he should be no1 for us. He just doesn't have that ruthless instinct for me and we have no idea whether Yamada will come good or not.

Idah could well score another 20 this year but he's got a lot more responsibility this year if we aren't siging another ST so those chances he sqandered against St Mirren he needs to start scoring those.

 

Your comprehension levels are utterly appalling. His ability to run the channels is top class, you might not appreciate the value of it but attacking players do as it drags centre backs around the place and generates space for runs to be made in bedind and gaps to appear in front of the defence. His movement is very good. Who's considering Idah's movement in line with Kyogos? Sounds like you're going for a straw man argument.

Had the benefit of playing against tired teams? Tired teams when he was grabbing later winners and equalising goals? Some would see a match winner as a benefit, you just see him as a lucky do you. Off the top of my head he has got crucial goals at Ibrox, Fir Park (x2) Hampden that he came on and hit important goals off the bench. On top of that he has 3 CL goals - same as Kyogo managed in 3 campaigns.

I've actually criticised Idah's focus, his finishing and his lack of aggression. I said he's fast running out of time to turn his career around here and badly needs to up his level. So I'm very balanced on his shortcomings and strengths, I'm not one of those toxic fans like yourself who clearly have little understanding of the game and who needs to find a bogeyman to lay the blame at. Idah could go and back a hat trick in next week and you'll either be avoiding this thread like the plague or digging in saying you were still right on him.

I have asked you how can he score so many goals and miss so many big chances if his movement is *? Still waiting for an answer. He has 29 goals in 72 appearances in a season and a half at Celtic. Kyogo had 31 in 82 in his last season and a half at Celtic and he had a lot, lot more minutes. The facts are making you look very foolish I'm afraid.

 

You are just going round in circles talking the same utter * in a slightly different way. Idah's movement simply is not top class. I don't think anyone would agree with you on that point. I compared his movement to Kyogo's as he did have top class movement up front for us.

Late winners and equalising goals you say? He scored 13 league goals last season. Let me break them down for you.

1 against Dundee United in a 3 nil win 85th min
1 against Dundee in a 6 nil win 45th min
1 against Motherwell in a 3-1 win 29th min
1 against Ross County in a 5-0 win 40th min
2 against Hearts in a 4-1 win - 78th min and 94th min penalty
1 against Motherwell in a 3-0 win 88th min
1 against St Johnstone in a 6-0 win 84th min
2 against Dundee United in a 5-0 win 47th and 58th min
1 in the 2-1 lost to Rangers
1 in a 3-1 win over Hibs 45th min
1 in a 5-1 win over Aberdeen 94th min

He scored 2 Scottish cup goals
1 against Hibs in in the Quarters 2-0 win 92nd min
1 against St Johnstone in the semis in a 5-0 win 45th min

2 League cup goals
Both in the same 5-2 win over Falkirk 70th and 72nd min

So as you can see, I dont see many last minute winners or equalisers in there. I have him credit for his 3 CL goals. By the way 1 of those goals was an 87th min goal in a 5-1 victory too where he come off the bench. And he definitely did benefit from coming on as a sub against tired teams like I said. Where are your stats to back up your top class movement claims?

I hope I'm proved wrong about Idah, I'd love to see him be a success here. But I'm not having the wool pulled over my eyes by fans like yourself who can't see past the fact he's Irish and playing for Celtic like he's some sort of hero. I don't think he's good enough and I've backed up my opinion. If you truly feel all those goals there involved some level of truly top class movement that he burst his gut to earn then fair play to you. I watched every one of those games and was thoroughly unimpressed by him last season as well.

 

Compare and contrast with Kyogo in his last season and a half.

You keep trying to strawman and twist my position. I am critical of Idah, I think there are a lot of areas he badly needs to improve on, I don't think he is deserving of a starting position now and I think he is on borrowed time to save his Celtic career. This doesn't mean I can't be objective though when I hear the nonsense spouted by the likes of you so rather than debate the issue you will actually ignore the substance on my argument being put forward as you are unable to view things with any objectivity.

Your point about him being Irish is more a projection of your own prejudices. You were blaming him for the fee the club paid for him and now you are blaming Idah for being Irish. With fans like you who needs enemies?

 

I know it's no his role but with Maloney here, maybe he could help him with wee bits to brush up his link up play for example..

A guy who was technically excellent and had clever movement, is supposedly a quality coach and I'm sure was working alongside Henry for Belgium?

Saying all this i still want him nowhere near being our main man and eventually moved on..

 

Yeah you ignored the hard stats I posted and danced round that. Superb retort. Kyogo cost us £4.5M and we sold him for £10M. So take that into account with your comparisons too. Kyogo was literally half the price and more than twice the player.

I think I've been plenty objective on him, and I'm backing up my honest opinion on him. Difference is I dont need to tell lies to do it.

I did no such thing of blaming him for being Irish. He's pish no matter what nationality he is. I'm saying YOU are being biased towards him because he is Irish and its blinding your opinion. I'm quarter Irish myself so why would that be something I dislike about him?

 

Brilliant post and ties in nicely to what I was saying as well. For me he needs to be competing for back up striker at best here, do not feel at all confident relying on him as our main goal threat.

 

You posted selective stats that confirm that a guy who mainly started as a subs score a lot of goals off the bench.

As I said, I don't know what Idah has to do the fee Celtic paid for him. Take that up with whatever idiot didn't put a buy clause in the loan deal and whatever idiot spent the summer dicking Norwich about on a transfer fee that they panciked in mid August and paid over the odds.

You are in no ways objective of him, you are talking all sorts of hyperbolic nonsense on him. You have blamed him for being Irish and you have blamed him for Celtic paying £8.5m for him, none of which are his fault.

Three times I've asked you now if Idah's movement is so * how come he scores so many goals and has so many big minutes relative to the minutes he has on the pitch. If you anything about football, you'd know that what you're saying is undermined by the facts.

I think we both agree that Idah really needs to work on his finishing and efficiency in front of goal. If he can do that and work on the mental side of his game, he will do really well here. If he doesn't then he's living on borrowed time but your commentary on him has been hyperbolic in the extreme and frankly ridiculous.

This to me sounds like the description of one of the worst players to ever play for Celtic that you provided on Idah.

"First class movement"? Give me break its one of the worst aspects of his game.
The timing of his runs is garbage.
Praising him for opening space because of a badly timed run is a stretch.
He's crap in the air for his size
His first touch is like volleying a ball off a brick wall and his decision making in the final third is awful.
He absolutely is lazy as well.

You seem to be incapable of being objective when it comes to Adam Idah. I agree that he was poor on Sunday btw, you have accused me of only sticking up for him because he's Irish and you have accused me of being in his arsecheeks when I have said I'm not convinced of him and he badly needs to up it because he's running out of time. It's the fact you have to try and misrepresent my position because I called out some of the hyperobolic nonsense you were writing that is most telling.

 

Your position is he's an absolute nightmare of a footballer. You said he has one of the worst touches you have ever seen, is * in the air, is lazy and his movement is terrible.

Do you want to row back on the earlier nonsense you posted?

 

Maeda did from Harry Kewell

 

He does have one of the worst touches I've ever seen, he is * in the air given his size and frame, he is lazy and his movement is poor. Hence why I am not happy with him being first choice striker here until/if he massively improves. What about that opinion is in any way confusing to you?

 

How is posting stats on every goal he scored in any way selective? Thats a comprehensive list of his goals last season. What's selective is your ability to read.

So we both agree Celtic paid way over the odds for Idah and he's not worth the money. Fine move along.

You are fundamentally incapable of reading a simple sentence. I at no point ever blamed him being pish on being Irish. For the third time I blamed YOU and YOUR BIAS for Irish players for not being able to see the truth with Idah. You can repeat that nonsense all you like but my posts are there in black and white.

I am not incapable of being objective. I praised his CL goals. I've also praised him when its due. Through no fault of his own might I add, he's now in a unique position where he's considered first choice striker. I didn't have a huge problem with him last season when Kyogo was here and was happy enough that he was backup. Situations change though and thats no longer the case. I can't hold that situation against Idah but I can say that I don't believe he's up for that role and I don't believe he's in any way good enough to be our main man up front. And have posted several times over why I feel that way.

I have no idea why you're still regurgitating his movement as if I've not addressed it, I've shown proof he barely scored any important match winning goals last season and that plenty of them were late in games against tired opposition. I don't see how this first class movement you allude to backs up anything. I commended his movement in the box against Aston Villa as for me that was his best performance of last season. I felt that far too often he doesnt use his body well enough, doesn't get back onside quick enough and often makes poor runs.

He was poor on Sunday, I'll absolutely agree. He should have scored a couple of goals. Had his movement been better he would have done.

 

Why would you want a player who is as bad as you make out anywhere near Celtic?

Maybe he is nowhere near as bad as you make him out to be? His goal record is very comparable to Kyogos in the past 18 months, Kyogo probably with a lot more minutes. Idah also scored the same amount of CL goals in one season Kyogo took 3 too. Kyogo also started 18 CL games I think it was compared to Idah's 3.

Your extreme views on both don't seem to square up.

 

You only included one season, that's selective.

You blame me for bias on a player I have made some very harsh criticisms of. That's the issue. I have said Idah badly needs to improve to save his Celtic career, I have said he needs to up his focus, improve his finishing and be much more aggressive in the penalty box. I have said that he is on borrowed time. So I don't know how that makes me have a bias in favour of him when I'm saying all those critical things about him. I merely reject the absolute hyperbolic nonsense you have posted on him which I have given you ample time to row back on but it seems you want use to believe he's one of the worst strikers you've ever seen at the club.

I have asked many times and still not got an answer. If a strikers movement is so bad how does he keep scoring goals and missing a large amount of good chances? You can't answer it. How is it possible? 4th time I might get you to address it maybe?

 

Ya *, the 100 posts since I last checked this thread. Thought we’d sold him

 

I would prefer it if we sold him. I personally don't want him at Celtic. I'd like to improve the squad and have better than him either on the pitch or on the bench. I don't care so much about CL goals, that doesn't define Celtic strikers for me. You can draw any comparison you like but Kyogo is a better player than Idah in every possible department you can think of. The fact they've both scored 3 CL goals is utterly irrelevant.