Arne Engels and Adam Idah are players who, at the moment, split the opinion of the Celtic support.
Now, to be clear, this isn’t going to be a hatchet job on both players as I firmly believe they are quality additions to the Celtic first-team.
Idah proved during his loan spell and in his first season at Celtic that he can deliver the goods when called upon.
As for Engels, you don’t become a full Belgian internationalist if you don’t have quality.
So the heat this Celtic duo are getting is probably down to the amount of money Celtic spent on them But it’s not the players’ fault as Jarrod from Celts Down Under explains.
Celtic got ‘ducked’ trying to by Adam Idah and Arne Engels
It appears that Celtic could have saved themselves a few million pounds on each of these players but the reason the club paid over the odds won’t surprise the Hoops’ support.
Jarrod said on Celts Down Under, “I don’t know if you know that story with the Engels signing last year.
“So apparently we were in for him early on, and we were told, similar to the Idah thing, you can get him cheaper. I think it was like £7m or £7.5m for him. And then we were like, hold off, we’ll try and we’ll get a better deal at the end of the window.
“And then what happened? Same thing that happened with Idah. We were holding our balls for too long.
“And next thing you know, you’re getting, getting ducked and, you’re in a bit of trouble. So we had to pay overs. So realistically, we had to go in straight up, ‘This is the player we want. How much is he? Okay. £7m? Cool’.
“Pay it, done. We would have had him in a month earlier.
“It’s the same with Idah. We could have had him in for what, £5m? We paid £9m.”
So dithering by Celtic forced the price up when they could have saved in excess of £7m if they just paid the going rate.
Hardly surprising that now, is it?
QUIZ: Celtic’s Biggest Wins Over Rangers
Test your knowledge on some of Celtic’s most famous victories over Rangers. Find out if you know your history!
1. What is Celtic’s biggest ever victory over Rangers?
- a) 5-0
- b) 6-2
- c) 7-1
- d) 4-0
Correct Answer: c) 7-1
The 7-1 win is a historic result and is Celtic’s largest margin of victory against their rivals. It is also a record for a British domestic cup final.
2. In which competition did Celtic secure their historic 7-1 win over Rangers?
- a) Scottish Cup Final
- b) Scottish League Cup Final
- c) Scottish Premier League
- d) Friendly match
Correct Answer: b) Scottish League Cup Final
This famous match took place in the final of the Scottish League Cup.
3. In what year did Celtic achieve their 7-1 victory over Rangers?
- a) 1967
- b) 1957
- c) 1971
- d) 1988
Correct Answer: b) 1957
The match, famously known as “Hampden in the Sun,” was played on October 19, 1957.
4. Which player scored a hat-trick for Celtic in the 7-1 demolition of Rangers?
- a) Billy McPhail
- b) Sammy Wilson
- c) Bobby Collins
- d) Willie Fernie
Correct Answer: a) Billy McPhail
Billy McPhail scored three goals for Celtic, all with his head.
5. What was the nickname given to the 7-1 match by Celtic supporters?
- b) Hampden in the Sun
- a) The Demolition Derby
- c) The Thrashing at Ibrox
- d) The Glorious Final
Correct Answer: b) Hampden in the Sun
The phrase “Hampden in the Sun” was coined by Celtic fans and is the title of a popular terrace song about the game.
6. In a famous 2000 league match, Celtic defeated Rangers 6-2. Who was the Celtic manager at the time?
- a) Neil Lennon
- b) Brendan Rodgers
- c) Martin O’Neill
- d) Gordon Strachan
Correct Answer: c) Martin O’Neill
Martin O’Neill led Celtic to this dominant victory in his first Old Firm match as manager.
7. Which Celtic legend scored a memorable chipped goal in the 6-2 victory in 2000?
- a) Henrik Larsson
- b) Chris Sutton
- c) Paul Lambert
- d) Lubomir Moravcik
Correct Answer: a) Henrik Larsson
Henrik Larsson scored two goals in the match, but his beautifully chipped goal over the goalkeeper, Stefan Klos, is particularly remembered by fans.
8. What was the score when Celtic clinched the league title with a convincing home victory over Rangers in 2018?
- a) 4-0
- b) 5-0
- c) 3-0
- d) 6-1
Correct Answer: b) 5-0
Celtic won the game 5-0 at Celtic Park to secure their seventh consecutive league title under manager Brendan Rodgers.
9. Who scored twice in Celtic’s 5-0 win over Rangers in 2018?
- a) Moussa Dembele
- b) Olivier Ntcham
- c) Odsonne Edouard
- d) James Forrest
Correct Answer: c) Odsonne Edouard
French striker Odsonne Edouard scored two goals, while James Forrest, Tom Rogic, and Callum McGregor also scored.
10. In the 2017 Scottish Cup Semi-Final, what was the score when Celtic thrashed Rangers to reach the final?
- a) 5-0
- b) 4-0
- c) 3-0
- d) 2-0
Correct Answer: b) 4-0
Celtic won this match 4-0 at Hampden Park, with goals from Callum McGregor, Stuart Armstrong, Scott Sinclair, and a late strike from Moussa Dembele.
You have finished the quiz!
