Hallgrimsson on one big change Adam Idah has to make when he plays for Ireland
Heimir Hallgrímsson has acknowledged that striker Adam Idah is forced to change one big aspect of his game when playing for Ireland, compared to the role he plays at Celtic.
Idah won his 31st senior cap in Friday's 1-1 draw with Senegal, after completing another league title winning season with the Bhoys, who dominated the Scottish Premiership once again.
Idah scored a career-best 20 goals in all competitions for Celtic this season, but he drew a blank on Friday and looked frustrated at times.
And according to Hallgrímsson, Idah has much more work to do with the Boys in Green than with his Scottish side.
'I saw he took the job seriously today,' said the Ireland boss of Idah's display against Senegal. 'It's not been an issue but I think in his club it's just so different a role it's difficult to switch.
'Because we need a lot of defending from our strikers and he's just not used to it at Celtic, when they have their possession at say 60, 70 or 80 percent in games.
'So the space he needs to work on in games is small. It's a switch and hopefully players are learning more and more and he is growing.
'He knows what we expect so that's a positive sign.'
Idah was spotted remonstrating with teammate and goalscorer Kasey McAteer at one point during Friday's game, after the Leicester winger failed to pick him out with a cross.
It was one of a few flashpoints on the pitch during the game between Ireland players. In the lead-up to McAteer's opener, Matt Doherty and Dara O'Shea were seen arguing over the pair of them challenging for a corner.
Such debate is healthy, according to Hallgrímsson. He said: 'We want to be in sync when we take decisions, there always needs to be a reaction. It was just a misunderstanding. And that is a healthy thing.
'Everybody likes to play the game and do well, if they have a chance to do so and the ball doesn't come because somebody makes a mistake then they are unhappy with it, they should be unhappy with it.
'I cannot disagree with players saying this is how it should be done. It is okay.'
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Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
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'Adam's role at Celtic is very different' - Hallgrimsson identifies Idah's Ireland challenge
Adam Idah's transition from club to international football – differing demands between playing for Celtic and Ireland – remains a work-in-progress for Heimir Hallgrimsson. The Cork-born striker got the nod ahead of Evan Ferguson to lead the line in Friday's 1-1 friendly draw against Senegal after he'd supplied the winner as a substitute in the 2-1 triumph over Bulgaria. Troy Parrott's illness convinced the Icelander's decision to spare him with a view to being involved away to Luxembourg on Tuesday, Ireland's final audition before the World Cup qualifiers kick off against Hungary on September 6. It's natural for Idah needing to adapt his game when switching work environments between Celtic and Ireland. His day-job consists of winning and retaining trophies whereas Ireland are currently trying to regain lost ground from a slump to 63rd in the world rankings. 'Adam deserved to start against Senegal,' noted Ireland boss Hallgrimsson. 'He produced a solid performance. His workrate was, I thought, better than often before. Again, it's healthy competition up front. 'Adam took the job seriously. It (workrate) has not been an issue but in his club it's just so different a role (that) it's difficult to switch. 'We need a lot of defending from our strikers and he's just not used to it at Celtic – where they have their possession at say 60/70/80% in games. 'The space he needs to work on in games is small. It's a switch and hopefully players are learning more and more. 'He is growing. He knows what we expect, so that's a positive sign.' Ireland travel to the Grand Duchy on Sunday, with the manager likely to make a number of changes to his starting team. Ferguson's lack of game-time during a loan spell at West Ham United was a factor in keeping him in reserve but he's likely to be one of the beneficiaries of the quick turnaround. 'Evan has been really good and we were even thinking of starting him against Senegal,' the manager explained. 'He's been sharp in training and I think you saw when he came on he was sharp. We've been really happy with him in the sessions. Whether he was ready for 90 minutes, we were not sure. 'When a player is sick, like Troy was, we're not doing him a favour playing him at 80%. 'We would like to play him fully fit and give him the chance to show himself when he is fully fit.' Uncapped Josh Honohan, John Patrick Finn and Max O'Leary are likely to feature. 'When you do friendlies and give players a chance you will get answers,' reasoned Hallgrimsson about his first two non-competitive matches since taking charge last July. 'Not all of them will be positive answers but you need to have answers. 'The new players have rocked the boat a bit, so the players watching will think 'oh, this one is coming'. 'We need to have more than one option because if you are injured in September you might miss out for the whole series of six qualifiers. We must be prepared for that as well.'
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
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Heimir Hallgrimsson responds to Brian Kerr's criticism of a key decision
Heimir Hallgrímsson has batted away criticism from Brian Kerr of Ireland's summer friendly opposition. The Boys in Green impressed in Friday night's 1-1 draw with African giants Senegal, and on Tuesday they are away to Luxembourg. Former Ireland boss Kerr was speaking back in March when he questioned the wisdom of playing both countries - particularly Senegal - ahead of the World Cup qualifiers later this year. 'I don't know what the point is of playing Senegal, given that we are going to be playing either Denmark or Portugal,' he said, ahead of Portugal's win over Denmark, which put them into Ireland's group. 'Our next matches are against Hungary, Denmark or Portugal and Armenia, so I don't really get that one.' It should be noted that during Kerr's time as manager, Ireland played Australia, Canada, Brazil, Nigeria, Jamaica and China in friendlies around European and World Cup qualification games. Hallgrímsson wasn't aware of this, but was quick to respond with an explanation for the choice of Senegal as summer friendly opponents. 'I'll answer this one and it's a really easy answer,' he said. 'First of all, it was difficult to find an opponent in this window because a lot of the teams are playing World Cup and others already decided who they would play in friendlies so there was not a lot of options. 'Senegal was playing England and that is a world-class opponent and we wanted a strong opponent. 'Like I said inside, we wanted to play a really strong team and that was probably the strongest we could get. 'It wouldn't have been the correct way to do it, to play maybe two teams below us in the FIFA rankings. It wouldn't be the same. 'To play different opponents is healthy and challenging for the players, with different kinds of threats and we can develop our game playing against opponents like these. 'And if we qualify for the World Cup, we need to play teams from Africa, Asia etc so it's a good preparation. 'There is not a lot of games we can have if we qualify to play these opponents.' There were plenty of positives to take from Friday's game, including individual performances from players such as Ryan Manning, Will Smallbone and goalscorer Kasey McAteer. On Southampton's Manning, who played in an advanced role ahead of Robbie Brady, often drifting inside to allow Brady space to attack, or dropping back to cover for the Preston man, Hallgrímsson was delighted with his display. 'He is growing in this role that we have given him, he is getting to start game after game now so you can see his understanding of the tactics,' said the former Iceland and Jamaica manager. 'He is a player who can create and is quick. For me also, when Robbie is higher he can drop in and be the left back so that is really a good positive thing, their cooperation has been really good. 'He is a genuine good player but the best thing for me is that he can play more than one position. That helps us a lot in how we want to play. 'We want players to take action and then (for others) to fill up and react to that position. Him and Robbie have done a good job playing together.' As for fellow-Saints player Smallbone, he said: 'We haven't had a chance to work with Will a lot, so he was one we wanted to see in action. That is the purpose of giving players a chance. 'Everyone should come in with the thought 'I'm going to use this opportunity to my benefit and cement my name in the starting line-up or squad from now on.'
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Hallgrimsson on one big change Adam Idah has to make when he plays for Ireland
Heimir Hallgrímsson has acknowledged that striker Adam Idah is forced to change one big aspect of his game when playing for Ireland, compared to the role he plays at Celtic. Idah won his 31st senior cap in Friday's 1-1 draw with Senegal, after completing another league title winning season with the Bhoys, who dominated the Scottish Premiership once again. Idah scored a career-best 20 goals in all competitions for Celtic this season, but he drew a blank on Friday and looked frustrated at times. And according to Hallgrímsson, Idah has much more work to do with the Boys in Green than with his Scottish side. 'I saw he took the job seriously today,' said the Ireland boss of Idah's display against Senegal. 'It's not been an issue but I think in his club it's just so different a role it's difficult to switch. 'Because we need a lot of defending from our strikers and he's just not used to it at Celtic, when they have their possession at say 60, 70 or 80 percent in games. 'So the space he needs to work on in games is small. It's a switch and hopefully players are learning more and more and he is growing. 'He knows what we expect so that's a positive sign.' Idah was spotted remonstrating with teammate and goalscorer Kasey McAteer at one point during Friday's game, after the Leicester winger failed to pick him out with a cross. It was one of a few flashpoints on the pitch during the game between Ireland players. In the lead-up to McAteer's opener, Matt Doherty and Dara O'Shea were seen arguing over the pair of them challenging for a corner. Such debate is healthy, according to Hallgrímsson. He said: 'We want to be in sync when we take decisions, there always needs to be a reaction. It was just a misunderstanding. And that is a healthy thing. 'Everybody likes to play the game and do well, if they have a chance to do so and the ball doesn't come because somebody makes a mistake then they are unhappy with it, they should be unhappy with it. 'I cannot disagree with players saying this is how it should be done. It is okay.'
