ADAM IDAH has admitted he faced ‘hate’ and ‘torture’ while playing in the goldfish bowl of Glasgow.
The Republic of Ireland striker struggled to win over his critics at Celtic and quit the club at the end of last month to seal a £6million move to Swansea City.
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He spent 18 month in Glasgow, initially on loan before Celtic splashed out around £9m to sign him permanently last summer.
But despite his brace against Aston Villa and 20 goals in all competitions last term, the 24-year-old couldn’t quite live up to the price tag.
And now just days after leaving the club, Idah has opened up on the pressure he was under when he played for his boyhood team.
He explained that when things go right at Celtic you’re a hero, but things can quickly change in the pressure cooker of Glasgow.
He said: “I think there have been so many games where I’ve won them games and got them qualified for things, the finals – it probably goes unnoticed.
“It can be tough, you get a lot of hate. You might have a bad game and it’s torture. It’s a difficult place up there.
“But flip it the other way, you’re doing well and it’s the best place ever.
“I think that’s what it’s going to be like at any top club. You’ve just got to deal with that.
“Celtic is one of the biggest clubs in the world. It’s a really proud moment for me, playing for them. Having done my time there, I’ve had some great memories. I’ve got nothing bad to say about the club. It was an amazing experience for me to go and play there.
“To score, I think, 20 goals last season coming off the bench, it kind of goes a bit unnoticed. But that’s football. It’s time to move on now and get a fresh start.”
Idah scored his first goal since leaving Celtic in Ireland‘s World Cup qualifier against Hungary.
He stepped up with a stoppage time equaliser to salvage a much-needed point in the home tie.
And discussing his Celtic exit after his heroics, Idah revealed: “It was crazy. I probably found out the day before that game, which was a bit of a crazy week, to be honest. It’s going to be a fresh start for me. I’ve spoken with the staff there and the lads.
“I loved my time at Celtic. At first, I didn’t want to leave Celtic. I wanted to go and fight for my spot. I wanted to do well there.
“But Swansea have a great project and I know some of the staff there. What they think I can bring to the team is something I want to go and do. I spoke with the staff at Celtic and it seemed right. I’m really looking forward to going to Swansea.”
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