Celtic star makes ‘more to come’ claim as Rangers icon praises key decision which made him a ‘believer’ again

January signing Adam Idah led Celtic’s customary victory dance in midweek as his penalty double fired the Hoops to a hard fought 2-1 victory over Hibs.

The Republic of Ireland international has made a promising start to life at Parkhead and has registered two goals and one assist in his opening two matches for his new club.

Idah concedes that his dance moves still need a great deal of work after a pivotal night in Edinburgh, but has promised fans that there is much more to come from him in the coming months as Celtic go toe-to-toe with Rangers in the title race.

He told The Herald: “It’s an amazing feeling. To get the goal and the three points was fantastic and to do it in front of the away fans was unbelievable so I’m delighted with it.

“It’s one of the best starts I’ve had. The main thing was to get the three points. It was a tough game but overall I’m proud of the lads and to get the three points topped it all off.

“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.

“Right now we take each game as it comes. This was a big game and a big three points. Hopefully we can push on now and get more wins.”

Rangers icon claims key decision made him a ‘believer’ again

Rangers icon and five time Premiership winner Barry Ferguson has heaped praise on Gers boss Philippe Clement and the impact he has made on the team since his arrival in mid-October.

Ferguson, who made over 400 appearances for Rangers across two spells, admitted that he had lost faith in his former team’s hopes of winning the title after a bleak start under former boss Michael Beale. At the end of Beales’ tenure Rangers were already seven points adrift of leaders Celtic after just seven matches. 

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 credited the Rangers board for taking their time after Beale’s departure to ensure that they got the right successor - adding that this decision is now paying off for the team.

Ferguson explained: “They could have rushed into an appointment and compounded one bad move in giving the gig to Beale with another. But this time they bought themselves a bit of time by bringing Steven Davis and Alex Rae in as caretakers and used the October international to do their homework on Philippe Clement. And so far, it’s paying off.

“The Viaplay Cup is in the bag and come Tuesday, they could be sitting at the Premiership summit looking 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."