Former Republic of Ireland international Shane Long has revealed Adam Idah is currently caught in a catch-22 at the moment…
The former Irish striker knows Adam Idah from the past and reckons he does have what it takes to be a big player for the Hoops and be the guy that the manager hangs his hat on, but for now he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Daizen Maeda’s scintillating form
Daizen Maeda’s scintillating form for the club this year has meant that Idah has always been on the cusp but never really the main option up front. With 33 goals in 46 games so far, the Japanese international is well on course to hit 40 goals for the season in what would be a remarkable record for a man who was only moved to the centre-forward position after the New Year.
Idah won’t want to be regarded as a ‘Super Sub’
Meanwhile, Long has stated for the record that whilst Idah will be eager to impress from the bench when he comes onto the pitch to help the team, he won’t want to get the reputation as a permanent super sub. Speaking to Boyle Sports, the ex-Southampton and Reading attacker gave his thoughts on Idah’s situation at Celtic.
“Adam Idah has done okay at Celtic, he’s got 24 goals in 66 appearances,” Long said. “I think the biggest problem for him is Daizen Maeda. He’s flying at the moment and it’s strong competition.
“It’s a nice weapon for the manager to have”
“I think when he does start games, he doesn’t light it up as much as he probably should to really cause the manager a few issues, headaches about picking the starting team. It’s when he comes in off the bench that he’s really effective so it’s a nice weapon for the manager to have.
“I had it for a while in my career as a super sub.”
‘You’re kind of in a Catch-22’
Long continued: “You’re kind of in a Catch-22 where you want to come on off the bench and do well, but you don’t want to do that thing of always coming off the bench to do well.
“He’s still quite young, I’ve played with him and know his ability. He’s strong, he’s a link-up player and he’s a good finisher so it will happen for him. He just needs to keep believing.”
Idah scored a brilliant double at Villa Park in the Champions League
Idah has shown in flashes his capability to mix it against really good opposition this season. The Champions League fixture against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at Villa Park back in January, really highlighted the Irishman’s physicality and prowess in front of goal.
His movement and finishing really troubled the Spaniard’s defence and asked several questions of well-seasoned Premier League stars.
The player has been slightly unfortunate that Daizen Maeda is in the form of his life right now too, as nobody foresaw the way he would catapult into the limelight when Kyogo left Paradise. There’s still plenty of room for growth in Adam into the bargain and Rodgers was excited to bring the forward back up the road from Norwich City last summer on a permanent deal to work with him.
An unfortunate incident away from football
His goal at Hampden on Sunday against St Johnstone will do him the world of good after an unfortunate off-field incident during the week away from football. But even then when Adam Idah scores Daizen Maeda gets a double!
Adam just needs to bide his time and take those opportunities when he’s in from the start, as Maeda doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon!
Paul Gillespie
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