Adam Idah changed Celtic history. He arrived at the club on loan during Brendan Rodgers’ first season back in January 2024. Philippe Clement had not only stabilised the wreck Michael Beale left Newco in, he hunted Celtic down, went top of the league and made his side favourites for the title.
A week in the door Adam scored with two penalties against Hibs, to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 1-2 win in the 92nd minute. At Motherwell two weeks later and he again scored twice, his second to give Celtic the lead on 94 minutes.
He will be better remembered for his Scottish Cup Final winning goal against Newco in May 2024, and our third goal in a 3-3 draw at Ibrox the month earlier, but the goals at Hibs and Motherwell were just as crucial in picking a Celtic team off the canvas and making us champions again. We would have won neither without him.
The club spent £9m to take Adam permanently from the Norwich City bench to Glasgow. It was a decision based on a small sample size (the fee was due to Brendan Rodgers publicly naming Adam as his No. 1 target early in the window). A statistical error was made; always check the sample size.
I doubt anyone is motivated to explain why Nicolas Kuhn was allowed to leave without backfill secured. Signings are notoriously difficult for all clubs and all know not to make assumptions, which is why Kuhn’s sale is so unusual. A bit of bloody mindedness was involved. Contrast with Adam’s departure. Adam could have gone earlier in the window but was kept until backfill was secured.
Two weeks late, but Royal Antwerp eventually got their backfill for Michel-Ange Balikwisha (24), who joined Celtic last night. The right-footed (predominantly) left-winger has been at Antwerp for four years and I expect will see some action on Sunday. Celtic have scouted for a long time, so he will surely fit what we need.
Michel-Ange played the same role in Belgium as Jota played at Celtic, and Daizen Maeda has played in Jota’s absence. Brendan likes to swap out both wingers during games, so I can see scope for at least five in the squad.
Welcome to Celtic, Michel-Ange.
Our Europa League draw:
Roma (home), 5th in Italy last season
Feyenoord (away), 3rd in Netherlands last season
Braga (home), 4th in Portugal last season
Red Star (away), Serbia champions last season
Sturm Graz (home), Austria champions last season
Midtjylland (away), Denmark runners up last season
Utrecht (home), 4th in Netherlands last season
Bologna (away), 9th in Italy last season
There are easier games in the Champions League than any of them, but there’s lots we can achieve with that draw.
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Yang is a young player and has time to improve and develop. He is playing often in team or bench and should be kept. We don’t need the money.
Idah is also playing regular but is currently in poor form. He has shown that he is a better player on current form. We haven’t signed a replacement.
We have signed one winger but need more. Is Maeda now a striker or a winger? Forrest is only other winger.
Still no sign of a joined up transfer strategy
Vatican: The Novel? That’s the one I found,
Because it sounds intriguing mate, and I very much want to read that.
I’ll find a good copy somewhere and let you know what I thought.
There was a Kindle version of Amazon but it’s 2 pages long lol so it’s not this one!
To whom was asking earlier about Belgrade.
I was there last year and went to a Red star game with my two bhoys and one of their girlfriends.
Never seen a more scary bunch of polis some in Green some in grey dont know the difference.
Fans were mental had 8 at least different TIFOS during game including fireworks display :-)
Belgrade was good enjoyed but as i say i didnt like the very presence of those police and we were in family section and dont think any away fans.
On other side of coin Hibs were their recently Scotland have played their and our city rivals and dont think i have heard any major issues. I went to 4 out of 5 away games last season lets just say
Belgrade will be low on bucket list for a Celtic match this year.
PS maybe i am just a 6ft3 18st woose
Celtic Mac:
It was also the first book in which I heard of Opus Dei.
An intriguiging organisation as well …
jc2:
Thanks for that mate. Obliged.
JAMES FORREST on 29TH AUGUST 2025 12:58 PM
I’m sure if you dug throught the archives you would actually find an editorial from when Kuhn saying saying that he WAS a Brendan signing and was nothing but a wild punt with the suggestion that we had veered wildly off script and would regret it. It 100% exists.
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I think you’re wrong about this. I’m fairly sure P67 described the signing of Adam Idah as ‘off piste’ and contrasted it to the unheralded data-driven signing of Kuhn. Adam was off-piste because he was not scouted but was known to the manager…and his price as well.
So could we please leave Engels and Trusty alone about their cost? It seems to have been too heavy a burden for Idah. Whenever we sell the other two we will either get their fees back or make a small profit. A Belgian and a USA international will have value and throw in European experience as well. Let the media throw muck. We know why they do it, but I despair when I hear this nonsense coming from Celtic fans.
As for Yang. For that money keep him. What are we going to do with another £1.5 million sitting on the cash pile?
Some years back, RC Ogilvie was widely worshipped as being a great administrator in the game.
As events unfolded, however, we were advised he wasn’t responsible for original rangers sectarian signing policy, side letters, ebts, general financial mismanagement at either gers or Hearts.
I often wondered what he actually *did* do.
And so we come to our own Toom Tabatd Nicholson. He doesn’t do comms, player negotiations, contract negs or the wifi!
Which begs the question……??
I fully expect some blowhard, who knows Mr Tabard personally, to tell me he does so much and is a great debater and I don’t know the complexities of running such an organisation.
Perhaps he’ll surprise us all and make an appearance up front on Sunday. We appear a little short on numbers
BR stating the obvious on SkySports saying investment is made in players but the timing of these needs looked at.Who is running this organisation?Are we paying guys at Exec level a fortune and they don’t realise this? This is so obvious and a flimsy reason for failure that I doubt very much this will be acceptable to the support.
I don’t see anything changing at Celtic re transfer windows.
Next season, we’ll likely make it 8 from the last 10 failures in qualifying. We’ll sign no one and have a new manager probably just in the door. We’ll be in a state.
Tontine Tim:
Tremendous post. Absolutely tremendous.
HarryM:
We’re both half right. It was thinking of a piece at the end of the window where Paul said that it was one entirely under the control of Rodgers and the inference was that giving him that control had been a mistake. But apparently only half a mistake.
On the substance, you are 100% correct that Paul thought the signing itself was a good yin. Which makes his disdain for the window as a whole and Brendan’s control over it hard to reconcile.
But yeah your general point is 100% right and if yep I got that one wrong! That’ll please some of the folks on here! Made their day, that has!
Your general point on Idah, Engels and Trusty, I agree completely. The narrative that Rodgers has wasted money on these guys is ludicrous and has been seeded into the public discourse in part, I suspect, to justify the summer we’ve just watched and the idea that he should get no more to spend.
I also find it fascinating that we get stick from so many of the hacks for having big money signings on the bench. Wasn’t there a time when they boasted about how the first Ibrox club had enough top players to field two top teams? Only when Celtic has strength in depth is that ever a problem.
What’s concerning is that the narrative appears to be coming out of our own club; Spiers and McGowan were again discussing, the other night, about how our own directors had felt bold enough to criticise Rodgers team selections in public, in front of journalists, several times last season … apparently our directors are troubled by the idea of strength in depth and of spending money not to have it in the starting eleven. Maybe they’ve not noticed the number of times top teams bring quality – expensive quality – off the bench. We’re not allowed to have too many nice things though.
BR saying replacements need to be in the door before Idah & Yang can leave.
The board won’t give a monkeys if we’re seriously weakened going into a crucial game, its been their MO for a decade or more.
Ten Men Won The League:
Clearly with the manager it’s now a case of “fool me once …”
He’s no longer playing their game, and fair play to him for it.
As others have pointed out, Paul has definitely got it wrong in the leader. Baliwisha is not Ida’s replacenent, through his friend’s may be briefing otherwise:
– – –
Brendan Rodgers insists Adam Idah won’t be allowed to quit Celtic – until a replacement is signed.
The Irish striker missed training on Friday as he undergoes a medical with Swansea City after a deal in the region of £7million was struck.
Anderlecht goal machine Kasper Dolberg has been lined up as his replacement, with Hoops chiefs locked in talks over a £8.5m fee.
But Rodgers made it clear Idah – who was brought in from Norwich for £9m last summer – will remain at Parkhead until a new striker is found.
He said: “There’s interest in Adam, but no one can leave here unless we get players in to replace. It’s as simple as that.
“There’s been negotiations and chat around it, but I have to have players in here before I can consider letting anyone go.”
Unless Celtic can strike a deal in the next 24 hours for Dolberg, then champions could head to Ibrox with only Jonny Kenny and Shin Yamada as their first-choice striker options.
Rodgers – who confirmed he’d be in the market for TWO new forward if Idah was to depart – said: “Well, Adam had been out for a number of days before the last game and came in.
“I’m quite relaxed on it. I just need to see where we’re at over the course of the next couple of days and then we’ll assess it from there.”
Birmingham City are also chasing the signature of Yang and Rodgers admits the South Korean winger would probably had left earlier in the summer – had the Hoops conducted their own transfer business quicker.
He said: “I think for the likes of Yang, it’s been ongoing for Yang for a little while. I understand it.
“When you’re a player that’s probably been mostly used maybe as a squad player over a couple of years, there comes a point in time when you maybe want to move on and play.
“But I’ve been unable to do that because we’ve needed Yang here. But I also know that if he does stay, he has a contribution to make because we need five, six wingers because of the number of games we play, the intensity that we want to play.
“But there has been interest in him. Yet again, I repeat, I can’t really do anything unless we have players in.”
would take a punt on the hibs Bowie .
This popped up…
The Battered Bunnet on 21st August 2025 7:11 am
I suggested yesterday afternoon that this game was a good one for Adam Idah to show up, and asked: What are you waiting for, Adam?
He got pulled at half time because, in the manager’s words, “he’s a good lad, working hard on his game but I couldn’t wait for him [to start performing]”.
We’ve got a decent defence that would be improved by a left CB the calibre of CCV. Unfortunately, our very good right back ill be out for 2 or 3 months with a hammy, and our very good left back can’t last 90 minutes. That means, standing transfers in, we’ll be playing a not very good right back for the next 2 or 3 months, and a centre half at left back for the last 20-30 minutes of each match for the foreseeable.
Our decent defence just got downgraded.
We’ve got a selection of good midfielders to play with CalMac but have yet to perm any two from Engels, Nygren, Hatate, Bernando, McCowan to make a performing unit. And we have no cover for CalMac.
Up front, bar Maeda’s pace (but not his technique) we’re absent any players that give defenders concern, let alone frighten them. Take Yang, Forrest, Idah, Yamada, Kenny (and Tilio who’s still in the building), play them all at once in a 4-3-6 and we still don’t have a forward line to bother a goalkeeper. (Jota won’t kick a ball before January, probably march)
Games are won by the forwards and lost by the defenders. Given where we are at the moment, and with a week or so left of this transfer window, I’d say this squad is looking unlikely to win against good opponents and quite vulnerable to losing against well organised teams with fewer resources – when we can’t score but concede through a mistake, a fluke or a penalty kick.
That’s not in any way a post match rant. I said as much yesterday before the match, and indeed earlier in the year as we coughed and spluttered our way to losing important matches.
We need a forward line. Now! And we need to upgrade the defence in light of the last two weeks.
We can only cross fingers and toes that we have enough guile and good luck to win in Almaty next week.
God I hate UCL playoffs. It’s like sitting in the waiting room at the dentist.
————
We need strikers who put the ball in the net from chances created by clever forward players. Idah going doesn’t change that – he didn’t score much, notwithstanding that he had few chances provided him to do so.
“Adam could have gone earlier in the window but was kept until backfill was secured.”
Who’s his replacement?
James Forrest on 29th August 2025 3:08 pm
Ten Men Won The League:
Clearly with the manager it’s now a case of “fool me once …”
He’s no longer playing their game, and fair play to him for it.
———————————————————————————————
Absolutely. And when Idah and possibly Yang are sold before Sunday and no replacements are in place for the game, we will inevitably struggle due to lack of options, anyone with a brain will see who the bad guys are.
Punt that’ll cost 5m minimum.
It’s a tough draw for a poor Celtic team and I don’t see them qualifying. Hope I am wrong.
It’s nice the host tries to pin the 9.5m fee for Idah including add ons on the manager— Nicholson should have inserted / insisted on a buy clause for the £3M fee they wanted; his amateurish low balling and delaying tactics led to the exorbitant fee.
I have been watching with interest the unravelling of Celtic over the transfer window. Let’s stop pretending —. there is no strategy
– who had input to the strategy eg stakeholders, shareholders, execs etc. Who approved.
– has anybody seen it
– what are the strategic initiatives
– what is the progress
Nada, zilch..
The club is run like a family corner shop, none of the guys on exec have operated at the requisite level. The mute invisible Nicholson is so far removed from a CEO it is laughable. He should be chased for the dismantling of the team and transfer window debacle that cost the club 40mil.
The shareholders and the support are completely in the dark about everything. It’s two fingers to the entire support and I include DD in that along with the main culprits Lawwell and Nicholson.
The current playing squad needs help, the senior players have been milked for a number of seasons and we have just lost another in Alastair Johnston. The loss of Kyogo who was never replaced has been hugely damaging—- that’s on Nicholson too. Selling Kuhn without a replacement was stupidity— huge factor in the 40 mil being lost.
It will be interesting to see ticket uptake for EL. I will pass , if my bhoys want to go cool I will give mine to one of their pals. Happy if they don’t go also cool — as how much money do they want to hoard. Helping out the women’s team would be worthwhile. Plenty will boycott the EL.
I don’t see DD changing his ways now and he will spell less time on club—- Lawwell needs to go. Nicholson totally out of his depth having £40M to spend would have him running to the bathroom.
Change is needed as the exec team is 2nd rate, squad is diminished and will not be able to compete in EL. Manager has his faults and will look in the mirror, will probably leave. Then it will be some ex Celtic player who will continue the downsizing.
The invisible strategy will be updated by the invisible CEO and put in a safe along with the £100M for a rainy day…
Celtic have done this to themselves. 100% on Nicholson and co.
Er …
… where in Paul’s article does it say Balikwisha is Idah’s replacement?
Oh for a manager who has us playing football that is entertaining. This keeping possession at all costs, especially passing back and forward across the 18 yard line bores the pants off me, particularly as CCV and Scales are prone to the odd mistake.
I know we are up against 10 man defence virtually every week in the SPFL but surely our manager could have devised other tactics than what we are constantly subjected to. (And I am well aware of the paucity of wingers.)
Weebobbycollins on 29th August 2025 2:41 pm
James Forrest…I see you mention David Yallop’s book In God’s Name. There is another intriguing book, a novel, which exposes a lot of the darker side of the Vatican. Written by Malachi Martin, an Irish, Jesuit ordained priest who worked in the Vatican and indeed travelled with Paul VI to the middle east. It covers the period from the closing stages of WWII to the mid eighties. Although it is classed as a novel, the lines between fact and fiction are extremely blurred. From Mussolini, Liberation Theology, Poland’s Solidarity movement, John Paul I, John Paul II, P2, and Roberto Calvi and the Banco Ambrosiano. It’s over 800 pages, so not a pamphlet. However, it is a great read…
*read In God’s Name it many many years ago, kind of hard to discuss this with fellow Catholics who are of the old school variety, although my da who spent his summers growing up in Connemara and Fermanagh saw it, but today 40+ years later it all makes sense
As for Opus Dei, I toyed with that around 40 year ago but being a secular Franciscan and also hail hailing from the “Little Moscow” that is the Vale of Leven, nae chance
BR firmly drawing a line in the sand. If you can negotiate sales then you can negotiate buys.
Apologies and excuses on Tuesday morning can’t be named on team sheets in the months ahead.
Back to Basics – what else can you infer from the following:
“Adam could have gone earlier in the window but was kept until backfill was secured.
Two weeks late, but Royal Antwerp eventually got their backfill for Michel-Ange Balikwisha (24), who joined Celtic last night. The right-footed (predominantly) left-winger has been at Antwerp for four years and I expect will see some action on Sunday. Celtic have scouted for a long time, so he will surely fit what we need.”
BR has been interviewed this afternoon and said he cannot let Idah go as no replacement has been signed. So if Paul is not referring to Balikwisha, who is he referring to?
Mind when Boyata did an Igamane ? What a waste of time and money that was.
Yallop was a heck of a writer. He returned to the Catholic Church theme in several of his later books, and was a real critic of its direction. Two of his other books – To The Ends of The Earth and How They Stole The Game are books I can’t recommend enough to Celtic fans.
To The Ends of The Earth is about Carlos the Jackal and the Middle East. Loads of historical stuff in there about atrocities committed by Israel and how they led to the PFLP campaign under Ahmed Jibril and his guys and about the cycle of violence it unleashed. A real eye-opener of a book.
How They Stole The Game is about FIFA. Stunning expose.
To The Ends of the Earth touches on Lockerbie quite a bit … and there’s a weird fact about Yallop; I think he was a writer for Eastenders and made some mad suggestion about killing off a slew of characters with an IRA bomb. No joke. I’m sure he got sacked for that.
Our tactics are fundamentally OK but there are 2 problems at the moment.
Firstly , we are back to moving it too slowly , the number of touches on the ball is excruciating, should be averaging around 2. Secondly , if we have speed and a threat down both flanks it forces the opposition to run a lot from side to side, if the threat is removed then the opposition don’t need to runabout as much and can effectively leave the worst winger free , odds are nothing will happen. 6-1 win against Aberdeen was an example of how we should really be moving teams side to side
Perhaps the manager should spent more time working on that ( to be fair they probably are) rather than giving everyone headlines at press conferences. My previous understanding of press conferences was for the manager to be bombarded by essentially hostile questions and then for the manager to give a series of non answers laced with some humour. See MON for the stonewall template. .
We seem to have a manager who uses press conferences to push an agenda ; with terminado (1) , terminado (2) , gobbing off about lacking quality , needing specific players pushing their transfer fees up , we need players right now again not that helpful.
Seems to me he’s at best covering his backside or worse laying covering fire for an exit …….
Timewilltellcfc
BSR
When the Chief executive of Bobo Balde had his fallout I decided to go right to Celtic Park and have it out with him myself .
Then I remembered I had to stay in to wash my hair .
No, he’s best at putting silverware in the trophy room for others to claim credit for.
As represented by his record of doing exactly that.
That’s why we pay him £3 mill a year.
How about this for a conspiracy theory, now that we have Arne nd Michel-Ange why NOT wee Shaun who coached their national side too enhance their skills when he replaces BR
Yep they lied to Rodgers about a Kyogo replacement —- he can’t trust Nicholson to pull the same stunt.
Wonder if Lawwell is in cahoots with his teaboy Nicholson for payback on the Man City internet curator getting fired.
Lawwell lingering round like a bad smell.
According to Ibrox Noise the wee Belgium rat has burnt his bridges, more likely his dad, at the bigotdome and not playing on Sunday.
Apart from the mibs he was my main concern for the game…..
Lennon will be on speed dial 😡
Awe FFS william frederick is back lingering the place with his bad smell, as wee Leigh once said “eff off yer teams deid”
Interesting results from the Thistle fan consultion.
They’ve given us the bigger stand. Pragmatic, sensible decision.
If only some of the top flight teams took the same view.
So many empty seats when our fans visit grounds … you’d think these clubs were loaded.
Well done the Kano foundation
We done all attending
https://x.com/KanoFoundation/status/1961452309780611104?t=tRVPCsSmHW2WOpZZuqXJdQ&s=19
HH
Tontine tim,
Could I double down and suggest wee Shaun is the advance party for Roberto Martinez?
KC Vic – Obviously. Now that Mourinho is unemployed he will get offered the Portugal gig job freeing up Roberto to come to us where Shaun awaits.