Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Mum’s illness a Adam’s decision
THIS week was a homecoming for Charlie Adam and not just in a football sense.
The 26-times capped Scotland international, who starred for Blackpool, Liverpool and Stoke in the Premier League, signed a two-year deal with the club he grew up supporting on Tuesday.
Dundee is his club but the city is also his home and the desire to be near his family again after 11-and-a-half years plying his trade down south was a big part in the decision to sign at Dens Park.
Particularly after some upsetting news last week.
Adam said: “I’ve got an issue with my mum. She got some bad news in the last week that she’s got cancer and, obviously, I’ve to deal with that.
“That’s the realisation of where I am in my life and my career.
“Sometimes you don’t get the opportunity to come back home. Personal circumstances changed and that was a big factor.
“I think the club have played a huge role. The manager was the one who picked up the phone and had the courage to ask me if I’d be interested, I’m delighted he did.
“I want to play and enjoy football. I have played but not with excitement.
“I was travelling a lot last year, my family was at home and it just never felt right.
“This feels right.
“It’s a two-year contract. I keep referring to my age, but age is just a number and it’s important that we can come here and help these young kids play and have security and try and be as successful as we can.”
Adam, who played 27 times for Reading last season in the English Championship, himself broke the news he was speaking to the club about a possible move more than a fortnight ago.
It may have taken a bit of time but the 34-year-old is delighted to finally get the move to Dens Park over the line and he’s looking forward to the pressure that comes with pulling on the dark blue of Dundee.
He added: “I’m delighted. It took a while.
“We had a couple weeks of discussions and toing and froing. You know how it is with contracts, they take a while.
“Eventually we got to a point where I had to make a decision on what I wanted to do and I had the realisation that this is a club that meant a lot to me growing up.
“I stood on these terraces, I’ve been on this pitch, I’ve been in