Latest news with #OldFirmScottishCupFinal
Daily Record
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Adam Idah must crack Celtic contrast for Ireland as country striker battle could shift to Parkhead
The Hoops hitman still has some doubters to win over despite rattling 20 goals on the way to the domestic double last season Adam Idah gets a fair bit of flak for a guy who scores every 100 or so minutes on the pitch for Celtic. The big striker notched 20 goals last season for the Hoops and to add to the nine he bagged during his six months loan stint the previous campaign – which included three in the Champions League, a couple against Rangers at Ibrox and the winner in the Old Firm Scottish Cup Final in 2024. Yet there are still some doubters to be won over on the back of his big money move from Norwich City last summer. And Idah's international boss Heimer Hallgrimsson can see signs of progress already. The frontman was handed a start for Republic of Ireland in their 1-1 draw with Senegal on Friday night and Icelandic gaffer spotted some encouraging signs. Hallgrimsson knows Idah's role with the Irish side is completely at odds with the task the striker faces with Celts. In Scotland, it's often up against 10 men parked behind the ball and space is tighter than a Weight Watchers meeting in a phone box. The boot is often on the other foot with Ireland but Hallgrimsson has been impressed with the versatility shown by the Cork lad. Idah is added more and more to his game with club and country and he's convinced the big man will shine for both. Hallgrimsson said: '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. Workrate has not been an issue but in his club it's just so different a role and 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 or 70 or 80 percent 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.' Idah is battling it out with AZ Alkmaar's Troy Parrot and Brighton's Evan Ferguson to be the main man up top for Ireland and he's likely to be given another crack in the clash against Luxembourg on Tuesday. And there's still a chance Idah and Ferguson could be club rivals as well. Celtic were in the hunt to land the Seagulls ace on loan in January before West Ham stepped in. The 20-year-old's domestic career has stalled over the last season after bursting on to the scene the previous campaign when he rattled 16 goals. It's been a tougher 12 months and the spell at West Ham didn't go to plan, with just eight goalless appearances, mainly from the bench. Ferguson was on trial at Parkhead as a teenager when he was with Bohemians and has admitted to being a boyhood Hoops fans. Rodgers is in the marker for a striker to compete with Idah next term – and could be keeping a close eye on Ireland this week. Ferguson's international gaffer is hoping to give the frontman a spark that he can take back into the club game for pre-season. Hallgrimsson said: 'Evan has been really good and we were even thinking of starting him against Senegal. '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 you do friendlies and give players a chance you will get answers. 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'.' Hallgrimsson also has Hoops defender Liam Scales on board. The centre back came off the bench against Senegal and is in line for a start in Luxembourg after another solid season for Celts, where he eventually saw off the challenge of Auston Trusty to nail down a starting berth for the run in. Hallgrimsson said: '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.'
Daily Record
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Why Celtic Treble talk isn't banned as Brendan Rodgers accepts new 'expectation'
The Parkhead club have enjoyed an unprecedented period of dominance over the last decade The old football cliche you always hear players and managers rhyme out is 'taking it one game at a time'. But the truth is, the Treble has always been at the back of Celtic's minds. Just moments after last season's dramatic Old Firm Scottish Cup Final triumph, you'd think Callum McGregor would be on top of the world. But the serial-winning captain made it clear he wasn't happy knowing he'd ended the campaign with just two out of three winners' medals and immediately set his sights on making amends in 2024/25. With just a couple of weeks of the campaign remaining, McGregor is on course to do just that with his SIXTH Treble in just nine seasons. All-conquering boss Brendan Rodgers started this unprecedented period of domination the moment he first stepped foot inside Celtic Park as manager in 2016. At that time, the Hoops had completed just three clean sweeps in 128 years. Fast forward to 2025 and they have hoovered up 22 of the 27 pieces of silverware on offer in Scotland. Victory over Aberdeen in this month's end-of-season showpiece at Hampden will clinch a world record-extending NINTH domestic clean sweep. Rodgers - the third most successful manager in Celtic's history - has been the catalyst for this golden chapter. And the Irishman reckons there is now an "expectation" within the Parkhead faithful that all three major trophies will end up in Glasgow's east end. He told Celtic TV: "Listen, we always have to keep the humility, which is really important. I think we mentioned that at the beginning of the season, what our aims were domestically, and that was to win every domestic cup competition and the league. "So we're two-thirds there, but we know this last part is a very difficult part. I think when I came in 2016, the Treble wasn't mentioned so much. It was just not the thing that happened. "But now that the players have had success from that moment, they feel good and they know the expectations. They know the desires of the club and what it is we want to achieve. "So, it's not mentioned as such, but we've known all the way through the season what we wanted to achieve. 'When I came in 2016, it had only been done three times in the history of the club and when you think from 1888 to that point, it's a remarkably long period of time with brilliant managers and brilliant players. "But what we tried to do in 2016 was up the level of professionalism, up the mentality, so that everyone then had to come in tune with my vision and how we wanted to work. 'And once we achieved that in the 2017 final, it was a real good feeling with a group of players that they were inspired then to keep going. And from then the club has been able to roll it out and do it a few more times since. 'But it's definitely something that's an expectation, which is an incredible thing to say when you know what you have to go through in order to win the three competitions, it's not easy at all. "People take it for granted now that that's what's going to happen, but there are so many things can go against you as a player and a manager. 'And for us to have done that over the course of nine seasons, it's a true reflection of the professionalism, the quality and you also need that bit of good fortune in the journey as well.'
