The arrival of Adam Idah on loan in January to Celtic was met with, I think it’s fair to say, a kind of lukewarm reception.
The majority of the Celtic headlines in the January window were about the potential of Brendan Rodgers looking to sign Sydney van Hooijdonk.
The Dutch youngster was looking for a move and all the speculation was about him coming to Parkhead to follow in his dad’s footsteps.
But as it transpired, van Hooijdonk moved to Norwich City and that paved the way for Idah to come to Celtic on loan.
Adam Idah hails ‘top class’ Celtic fans
And it’s fair to say the Irishman has been superb. Crucial goals against Hibs, Motherwell and Rangers have kept Celtic in the hunt for the title and another goal against St Mirren only further endeared him to the Hoops support.
With five games to go, the Celtic fans are in no doubt about what they want the club to do with Idah at the end of the season and it seems that the warmth he is getting is following him on his travels as the Hoops striker opens up on the reception he gets when he visits Ireland and even driving through Glasgow.
Idah said [Daily Record], “I popped into a couple of pubs back home in Cork. I didn’t expect all that, to be honest. I was shocked when I walked in!
“It was great seeing everyone. They sent me some footage of the place from the other weekend watching the Rangers game and the place looked amazing. It’s not far from where I grew up. My mate took me down and we met some fans and the owners. It was top-class.
“I don’t think I would have got that reception if I wasn’t at Celtic. They’d just think I was just another local lad. Coming here you are treated like a hero wherever you go. It’s fantastic. I don’t know if I’ll need to buy a pint again – I hope not!
“The fans are so good. Every single person I’ve met has been top-class. You can be driving through the city and people are cheering you on. It’s great for us players to have that fan base behind us. It really motivates you to fight for them.”
The signing of Idah will prove to be one of the most important of the season. Seven goals in twelve appearances have made him the man of every Celtic fan’s lips.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Idah has now proven that he can be relied on when called upon and hopefully he has more goals in him to fire Celtic to the title at the end of the season.