IDAH

[BroadstairsR 2,186]

3 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

A good start and good luck to him.

Our so called supporters better hope he does well and comes back firing on all cylinders as I fear if we fail to get promotion Sargent will be hot property. 

Our strike force could well be Van Hooijdonk, Barnes and Idah.

Doesn't bear thinking about, unless the Donk turns out to be another good 'un in the way Holt and Pukki did.

Don't we have a couple of young strikers in the pipeline, though?

[king canary 7,643]

Interesting to look at the stats and see a remarkably similar situation to how he was here.

Only 21 touches all game despite playing the full 90 minutes, significantly less than anyone else on the pitch, despite Celtic having 66% possession. I didn't see the game but my assumption would be a striker playing for a team like Celtic would likely be more involved than that? 

Obviously great to bury both penalties but the impression I always got from Idah was that he was far too peripheral most of the time. Compare 21 touches in 90 minutes vs Sargent touching the ball 45 times vs Coventry in a game where we had 60% possession, it shows there is a gap in their all round game and what they bring to the table.

Edit- looking a bit further, he only played 11 passes all game and only completed 6 of them. So it seems his impact on the wider game was minimal but he's clearly a killer from the penalty spot.

Edited February 8 by king canary

[Capt. Pants 4,263]

5 minutes ago, BroadstairsR said:

Doesn't bear thinking about, unless the Donk turns out to be another good 'un in the way Holt and Pukki did.

Don't we have a couple of young strikers in the pipeline, though?

Possibly. Kamara has done OK at Portsmouth but can he step up? Aboh has done well in the U21s but isn't rushing to sign a new deal. The lad we signed from Man City (Ogwuru?) probably needs a loan.

At least there's 3 options and hopefully we can get at least 2 of them to a first team level.

[Satriales 670]

28 minutes ago, king canary said:

Interesting to look at the stats and see a remarkably similar situation to how he was here.

Only 21 touches all game despite playing the full 90 minutes, significantly less than anyone else on the pitch, despite Celtic having 66% possession. I didn't see the game but my assumption would be a striker playing for a team like Celtic would likely be more involved than that? 

Obviously great to bury both penalties but the impression I always got from Idah was that he was far too peripheral most of the time. Compare 21 touches in 90 minutes vs Sargent touching the ball 45 times vs Coventry in a game where we had 60% possession, it shows there is a gap in their all round game and what they bring to the table.

Edit- looking a bit further, he only played 11 passes all game and only completed 6 of them. So it seems his impact on the wider game was minimal but he's clearly a killer from the penalty spot.

I didn't see the game either, but heard Celtic were pretty poor, despite the possession stat.

[Jim Smith 2,325]

40 minutes ago, BroadstairsR said:

I'm beginning to think that this confidence thing has begun to be over-played.

He has had some good moments this season, including some decent goals, and a match winner.

Everybody seemed to think these would have elevated his confidence, but instead it was often back to the usual less emphatic displays that even saw Hwang preferred as a starter.

Admittedly, I am led to understand, a section of the support did have it in for him and social media in general was unkind.   

I think a change of scenery and a decent challenge will be more beneficial and more likely to be the reason helping him become nearer the player of expectations. He's known nothing since NCFC, and long periods of being an understudy. 

Quite frankly, if his confidence is so fragile, he shouldn't even be a professional footballer.

I'm not liking those Celtic forum comments as it they reek of 'here we go again.' Hopefully he'll blossom as he settles in more.

I don’t think our support has had it in for Idah at all. They’ve been remarkably patient really. He’s never really been given much stick. He just does not have the speed of thought and instincts of a top striker in my view. 

[Channon’s Windmill 327]

1 hour ago, king canary said:

Interesting to look at the stats and see a remarkably similar situation to how he was here.

Only 21 touches all game despite playing the full 90 minutes, significantly less than anyone else on the pitch, despite Celtic having 66% possession. I didn't see the game but my assumption would be a striker playing for a team like Celtic would likely be more involved than that? 

Obviously great to bury both penalties but the impression I always got from Idah was that he was far too peripheral most of the time. Compare 21 touches in 90 minutes vs Sargent touching the ball 45 times vs Coventry in a game where we had 60% possession, it shows there is a gap in their all round game and what they bring to the table.

Edit- looking a bit further, he only played 11 passes all game and only completed 6 of them. So it seems his impact on the wider game was minimal but he's clearly a killer from the penalty spot.

 

Edited February 8 by Channon’s Windmill
Accidentally submitted

[Google Bot 3,298]

1 hour ago, king canary said:

Only 21 touches all game despite playing the full 90 minutes, significantly less than anyone else on the pitch, despite Celtic having 66% possession. I didn't see the game but my assumption would be a striker playing for a team like Celtic would likely be more involved than that? 

He was very much fixed up top with 2-3 players covering him for most of the match, you can see why Celtic have struggled with strikers being isolated. 

Despite those 20-odd touches he could've walked away with 3-4 goals, should've had at least 3 and an assist in fairness, but that's why he's up there to improve.

Edited February 8 by Google Bot

[jaberry2 554]

I imagine Idah will have a decent loan in a poorer league. For me his time at norwich is done. Hopefully he inflates his value and moves on for his own development.

[DraytonBoy 159]

This is the perfect opportunity for Idah to get a run of games as a starter in a less competitive league, if things don't work out then the club have a decision to make in the summer.

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,035]

While I was watching the Villa/Chavs game I kept an eye on the BBC live updates for the Celtic game, from what I could work out Idah was left isolated up front which appears to be a problem for Celtic as it was the same for Kyogo when he was playing up front..........

[ricardo 7,395]

Initially I had high hopes for Idah but sadly he looks like never breaking out of the medium to average range at best.

 

[jaberry2 554]

2 hours ago, BroadstairsR said:

Doesn't bear thinking about, unless the Donk turns out to be another good 'un in the way Holt and Pukki did.

Don't we have a couple of young strikers in the pipeline, though?

Aboh in under 21s scoring for fun and Kamara on loan at Pompey look like strong contenders for squad places in the summer

[Satriales 670]

Looked on the Celtic forums and they aren't convinced yet either. Someone said it would be nice if they could sub him on/off like a NFL kicker lol.

[Google Bot 3,298]

14 minutes ago, ricardo said:

Initially I had high hopes for Idah but sadly he looks like never breaking out of the medium to average range at best.

That's the fear isn't it, I think he was top scorer in the U21 league when we pulled him into the first team and since then it's just been so stop start and was thrown right in the deep end at prem league level.

We obviously jumped at the earliest opportunity when in hindsight leaving him to learn his game and go out on loan while we done our thing may have been better.  But then, you've also got to show pathways to the first team and he likely stood out physically at U21 level - so it's a tough call really.

Whatever happens it's most likely that if he stays here nothing much will change, and if we sell him he'll become a 20+ a season striker, in whatever league he ends up in.   Just because that's flippin' typical!

[daly 506]

12 hours ago, Terminally Yellow said:

 

Astounds me that even when on loan, Idah remains the scape goat of choice of many Norwich fans. It's in our interests he does well in Scotland. He'll come back with renewed confidence and a readiness to be our leading man. Or he comes back having added some value to any transfer. 

Or neither 

if Celtic fans get on his back he’ll wish he’d never gone past Gretna Green

[shefcanary 2,435]

Idah has made his bed - its up to him now. For his sake if he still wants to play at the highest level I hope he spends a lot of time on trying to improve his first touch and positioning. Without improvement in those skills he'll remain a flat track bully, which ensures a lower league career, but not the career as has been mentioned widely he thinks he deserves.

SPL is only middle Championship standard at best, he'll not get that great an exposure to tough matches, so even if his confidence floods back and he returns in the summer, if (a big if I know) we get promoted one game in the EPL will bring him crashing back to earth. However if he fails to spark at Celtic over the rest of this season there will be no upper Championship or higher team interested in him. And that includes us, given Knapper now confirms he wants to ensure a clear pathway for our promising youngsters by moving players on who will never reach EPL standard.

Someone else mentioned Chris Martin in this thread. A player who was accused of having a bit of an ego problem when he was here and was similar in playing ability, but he accepted his transfer out and knuckled down to become a very good championship player scoring hatfuls of goals and even at 34 is still prepared to roll his sleeves up and play in League 1. Idah could do no worse than sitting down with Martin and having a long conversation. 

[chicken 2,640]

12 hours ago, mrdi said:

I don’t think it can count as scapegoating when Idah’s technically not a Norwich player at the moment. 

It seems to me that the Celtic fans are simply seeing what we’ve seen ourselves ad nauseam; that Idah is a player of a perpetual false dawns & ultimate frustrations. I hope he does well at Celtic purely because I want them to take him permanently, so we can move on from the cycle of expiry-immune ‘potential’ and make ours a team of actual realisation. 

Genuinely, well done to him for his two penalties tonight, the winner was loaded with pressure and he dealt with it well. But other than those two moments, it was very much a performance we’ve seen many times before and been infuriated by. At least tonight, I didn’t care. 

Sorry, but Idah 'is technically' a Norwich player at the moment. We own him. He's our player. He might not be playing for us right now, but he's still our player. No technically about it.

To all - we should all be willing him every success, even if you don't rate him. He does well, his value increases, and potentially we get a more confident, more improved player back. Worse case scenario, more potential suitors.

Get off the whinge wagon and stop dredging for Internet trolls. Glasgow has it's fair number of them.

[Robert N. LiM 4,429]

47 minutes ago, shefcanary said:

if (a big if I know) we get promoted one game in the EPL will bring him crashing back to earth

I'm sure you're right but I keep being nagged by the thought that the only time we looked even vaguely like a threat in our last season in the PL was when Idah was playing up front with Pukki (and Sarge?) - that week when we beat Watford and Everton.  Probably just wishful thinking on my part; I'm definitely biased in favour of wanting our young players to be successful.

But I also vaguely remember a @Parma Ham's gone mouldy post suggesting that Idah's skillset weirdly made him a better option for a relegation-threatened PL team than a promotion-aspiring Championship team. 

Either way,  think the loan was a good move.  Six months away will do him good,  and probably end up being quite revealing.

[hogesar 9,709]

Delighted for the lad. I imagine confidence has helped as Celtic fans didn't begin the season groaning and booing when he did touch the ball. The bits I saw, Celtic were poor. But good start of him.

[Captain Holt 522]

8 minutes ago, hogesar said:

Delighted for the lad. I imagine confidence has helped as Celtic fans didn't begin the season groaning and booing when he did touch the ball. The bits I saw, Celtic were poor. But good start of him.

Are you insinuating he's been booed? Two points - Firstly - He literally scored a last minute winner at the start of the season and hardly played until Sargent got injured. Secondly - He's been getting better receptions than ever; many chants of 'IDAH! IDAH!' every game he's featured in.

[hogesar 9,709]

5 minutes ago, Captain Holt said:

Are you insinuating he's been booed? Two points - Firstly - He literally scored a last minute winner at the start of the season and hardly played until Sargent got injured. Secondly - He's been getting better receptions than ever; many chants of 'IDAH! IDAH!' every game he's featured in.

Recently he had good support,  but only ever since Bristol City away did fans decide to give him some actual support. There's plenty of home games where him being even near the ball caused moans and groans and the occasional boo when he didn't shoot. All around me in lower barclay. 

[Captain Holt 522]

4 minutes ago, hogesar said:

Recently he had good support,  but only ever since Bristol City away did fans decide to give him some actual support. There's plenty of home games where him being even near the ball caused moans and groans and the occasional boo when he didn't shoot. All around me in lower barclay. 

Nothing near me and I'm in the Upper. Fair enough. I wish him absolutely all the best and am fully behind him, I just think the confidence thing is overplayed - as a previous poster has said he's scored a few late, match winning goals with fan support increasing for him. He's had a chance to run with it in the absence of Pukki and Sargent in significant spells over the last two seasons and hasn't made the shirt his own.

[hogesar 9,709]

32 minutes ago, Captain Holt said:

Nothing near me and I'm in the Upper. Fair enough. I wish him absolutely all the best and am fully behind him, I just think the confidence thing is overplayed - as a previous poster has said he's scored a few late, match winning goals with fan support increasing for him. He's had a chance to run with it in the absence of Pukki and Sargent in significant spells over the last two seasons and hasn't made the shirt his own.

Could well be. I thought his goal return was decent for us this season considering he's not really a Wagner striker in terms of pressing the ball. I thought his hold up play had drastically improved. Guess we'll have learnt more by the end of this season!

[mrdi 373]

7 hours ago, chicken said:

Sorry, but Idah 'is technically' a Norwich player at the moment. We own him. He's our player. He might not be playing for us right now, but he's still our player. No technically about it.

To all - we should all be willing him every success, even if you don't rate him. He does well, his value increases, and potentially we get a more confident, more improved player back. Worse case scenario, more potential suitors.

Get off the whinge wagon and stop dredging for Internet trolls. Glasgow has it's fair number of them.

Sorry, but while Idah is still on our asset register, he’s currently playing for and representing Celtic. Norwich asset, Celtic player. 

I’ve already said I want him to do well and why. Far from being a ‘whinger’; I’m actually quite happy about the current situation, thanks. 


 

 

[......and Smith must score. 1,349]

50 minutes ago, mrdi said:

Sorry, but while Idah is still on our asset register, he’s currently playing for and representing Celtic. Norwich asset, Celtic player. 

In which case we still ‘ own ‘ him. We’ve loaned him to another club. Doesn’t matter which club he plays for he’s still our player.

[......and Smith must score. 1,349]

10 hours ago, Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB said:

While I was watching the Villa/Chavs game I kept an eye on the BBC live updates for the Celtic game, from what I could work out Idah was left isolated up front which appears to be a problem for Celtic as it was the same for Kyogo when he was playing up front..........

I ended up watching the whole of the Hibs v Celtic game. Idah needed b*lls of steel to take that last minute penalty in front of the Celtic fans so kudos there but after all the years of trying he just doesn’t have the instincts of a good goalscoring forward. I thought he looked so on the fringe of things as he so often does for us.

Someone said to me he’s got the perfect physique to be a striker but if he can’t combine that with a strikers brain he won’t make the grade. That hat trick he got at Preston was way back in 2018 and if he couldn’t kick on from that by now I can’t see he ever will.

It’s a pity for him and us but not every footballer makes the grade and that’s just a fact of life.

Edited February 8 by ......and Smith must score.

[shefcanary 2,435]

Interesting comment from Iwan Robert's in his column today. Stated he heard that Idah's diet isn't good! Too much fried chicken 'n' chips or too much colcannon? If Iwan has heard such things it probably underlines that Idah isn't doing enough.

And yes, I know you guys (like me) all played the day after fish 'n' chips, 8 pints and a kebab, but we never made it as a pro either! 

[chicken 2,640]

16 hours ago, mrdi said:

Sorry, but while Idah is still on our asset register, he’s currently playing for and representing Celtic. Norwich asset, Celtic player. 

I’ve already said I want him to do well and why. Far from being a ‘whinger’; I’m actually quite happy about the current situation, thanks. 

First of all, he's still our player. Nothing you have said alters that. You've tried, badly, to create a false logic to it. You tried to be 'that person' to one up others but there is no technicality that alters he is our player. If he gets injured he comes back to us. We receive a loan fee for him. We hold his registration.

Secondly, 'to all' was in response to anyone getting silly about this. If you weren't, doesn't apply to you does it?

 

[chicken 2,640]

On 08/02/2024 at 09:06, king canary said:

Interesting to look at the stats and see a remarkably similar situation to how he was here.

Only 21 touches all game despite playing the full 90 minutes, significantly less than anyone else on the pitch, despite Celtic having 66% possession. I didn't see the game but my assumption would be a striker playing for a team like Celtic would likely be more involved than that? 

Obviously great to bury both penalties but the impression I always got from Idah was that he was far too peripheral most of the time. Compare 21 touches in 90 minutes vs Sargent touching the ball 45 times vs Coventry in a game where we had 60% possession, it shows there is a gap in their all round game and what they bring to the table.

Edit- looking a bit further, he only played 11 passes all game and only completed 6 of them. So it seems his impact on the wider game was minimal but he's clearly a killer from the penalty spot.

Though, tbf to him, we haven't been giving our strikers a great deal of service this season or last.

You can add into this how many times he has been a substitute and the scenarios we were already in at those points. In the Premier league we were likely losing, for example.

I think folks over-use stats without knowing what that translates to in reality.

You cannot rely upon them alone.

And some strikers are very deadly but don't get overly involved in build up play. Some are more build up players, some do both... and all to different levels of prolifency.

Sargent can do both but is our best finisher as things stand. Barnes is arguably out best at getting involved in the build up but not quite as good at finishing as Sargent.

A fair number of folks have said that Idah needs regular games to develop... I have said this before. He needs to know what a run of games is in his prefered position and to learn the expectation that comes with that.

It's unusual for any of our young players to not have been loaned out for that reason. 

[Paul101 93]

will keep this in here no point spreading across the board for a player on loan  but goes to show forum posts are not reliable every other person on this one had him down as in contention for MOM

https://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/motm-v-aberdeen-t141692.html

the other day someone posted the rando selection form the same forum running him down

Edited February 9 by Paul101