‘More to come’ Celtic star makes claim as Rangers icon praises key decision which made him a ‘believer’ again
Adam Idah, a January acquisition, started Celtic’s traditional victory dance in the middle of the week after his two
penalties helped the Hoops overcome Hibs 2-1 in a hard-fought match.
With two goals and one assist in his first two games for his new team, the Republic of Ireland international has
had a bright start to life at Parkhead.
After a crucial night in Edinburgh, Idah acknowledges that he still needs to improve his dancing skills,
but he has assured supporters that much more will be released from him in the upcoming months as
Celtic and Rangers battle it out for the championship.
He stated, “It’s an amazing feeling,” to The Herald. I’m happy with it because I scored the goal and got three points,
and it was amazing to accomplish it in front of the away supporters.
It’s among my best starts ever. Securing the three points was the primary goal. Even though the boys had a difficult game,
I’m proud of them overall, and winning by three points made it even better.
“It was unbelievable. Even just to score in front of the fans was such an amazing feeling.
To see their reaction after getting a last-minute goal was fantastic for me and the lads.
That shows the spirit in the changing room. Hopefully we can push on now and get three points on the board each and every week.
Rangers icon claims key decision made him a ‘believer’ again
Barry Ferguson, a five-time Premiership winner and Rangers legend, has praised Philippe Clement,
the team’s manager, and the progress he has made since taking over in mid-October.
After a dismal start under former manager Michael Beale, Ferguson—who played over 400 games for Rangers over
two spells—admitted that he had given up on his old team’s chances of winning the championship.
After just seven games, Rangers was already seven points behind leaders Celtic at the end of Beales’s term.
Reflecting on his thoughts at the time, Ferguson admitted to the Daily Record: “I did fear that the
game was up for this season’s title bid. I was a big believer as a player that you always had to fight to the end,
no matter if you were five, 10 or 15 points behind. But after watching that 3-1 defeat to the Dons at Ibrox,
I was seriously worried about where Rangers were heading. “
The 46-year-old said that the Rangers board made the right choice by holding off on signing Beale until
after his departure, and that the team is now benefiting from that decision.
Ferguson clarified, saying, “They might have hurried into an appointment and compounded
one poor decision by giving Beale the gig with another.”
However, they bought themselves a little extra time this time around by appointing Steven Davis and Alex Rae as carers,
and they utilised the October international to finish their research on Philippe Clement. And it’s working out so far.
“The Viaplay Cup is in the bag and come Tuesday, they could be sitting at the Premiership summit
down at the rest if they can produce a two-goal win over managerless Ross County.
That would be an incredible achievement in itself considering the position the club was in when the new boss arrived.
But if they think dragging themselves level has been tough, I have to warn them that it’s now when the real graft begins.”
Ferguson has been involved in his fair share of title races at Ibrox during his playing days and claims the mental
pressure will only multiply as they go against defending champions Celtic in the run-in.
He adds: “Listen, Celtic may be having a dip themselves at the moment and they certainly weren’t great at Easter Road.
But they know how to win titles, so Rangers have got to go out with a single-minded focus every week.
They can’t afford to wake up on a Saturday morning with a thought of, ‘Maybe they will drop points today’.
No, you have to go out thinking they are going to win every week because that is what keeps your own
mind concentrated on picking up results.
“Rangers simply have to be mega-focused over the next three and a half months.
They have to be zoned in and respectful of what Celtic can do.
If Rangers make sure they look after one thing, and that is themselves, then they have a fantastic chance.
But I have faith in this manager.”
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