Before we get down to the business of the day, thanks to The Clumpany for alerting me to the incredible actions of SPFL main sponsor Ladbrokes, who on the eve of today’s big game, Tweeted speculation about Ronny Deila losing his job.
Let’s be clear on this one. Any muppet can Tweet what they like about Ronny’s job, but it’s not the role of the league sponsor to engage in this kind of speculation.
If you don’t remember any actions like this previously from a league sponsor, it’s because it hasn’t happened. Ladbrokes retained PR consultancy Level 5, who are up to their knees in the business of another club, to manage their engagement of the SPFL. This is a clear conflict of interest, bringing wholly inappropriate pressure on the Celtic manager at a critical stage of the season.
Never forget the game going on behind the Game.
A few hours before an important game is also probably not the time to say I’m really disappointed Jozo Simunovic is out injured, but it’s impossible to look ahead to this game without that thought creeping to the fore. Erik Sviatchenko had as good a debut as we have seen from a defender in some time on Sunday, but he needs to move from Crisis Management mode into Partnership Building mode as soon as possible.
My hope is that a Sviatchenko-Simunovic partnership allows Celtic to return to the kind of defensive performances we saw so often last season. Until then, we’ll need a bit more protection from midfield.
The return of Scott Brown will go a long way towards this. He has the menace required to get a foot in the way before threats reach the defence.
Aberdeen will be ready for tonight. They lost four games in five weeks, culminating in a defeat at Celtic Park in October, but they haven’t lost a league game since, and they won their first 8 Premiership games before that period. Whatever was going wrong inside the club at that time is resolved. They are not quite on our heels, but a win tonight would change that.
They will also contrast our performance at Hampden with 10 men against Ross County to theirs in Dingwall a few weeks back, when they bosses the game, came from behind and left with three points.
For Celtic this is the perfect opportunity to dispose of whatever regrets they have from Sunday. A win away to your title rivals is the perfect tonic, it will also need no motivational words.
Colin Kazim-Richards and Patrick Roberts are both fully fit but unlikely to feature in the starting line-up. This is a job for those who know the script.
Three points please, Celtic.
Two other important points before you go……….
The Celtic Foundation Zip Slide last year was more fun than you can imagine. It’s happening again, this time longer and higher (top corner of the Jock Stein-North Stand to bottom corner of the Lisbon Lions-South stand).
To participate you need to do two things:
Ask your friends to sponsor you for the Foundation.
You’ve had many great times at Celtic Park, this will be another, promise. Book now.
I see an 18-year-old Motherwell fan (with no prior record) was jailed for 5 months for releasing a flare at New Douglas Park last year. Sentencing sheriff said:
“Smoke bombs are noxious and potentially toxic. They are dangerous to those with respiratory problems, particularly asthma, and there is the very real potential of causing panic in those confined to the immediate vicinity who have no knowledge of what has been ignited.
“This presents a clear and obvious danger, and immediate action is needed from those charged with ensuring the safety of all those present, especially young children.
“You knew what you were doing and made efforts to conceal your identity. The court takes a serious view of this type of conduct which seems to be on the increase.”
Four months in jail! The 18-year-old soldier will almost certainly lose his job and carry the consequences for a lot longer than he carried the flare. It’s a life-changing action, no matter if you pull your pants up over your eyebrows.
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Is the coolmore mafia involed in Celtic in anyway that might explain the ladbrokes giggs mix up ?
They are pretty close to Roy Keane (they pay his wages ????)
has Roy ever been associated with the Celtic job ?
HH
I tell you what, the avoidance of responsibilty is laughable.
Its always somebody else’s fault.
The hidden hand of fate guiding football,….management has got nothing to to with it, its just bad luck.
Its all pre-determined…There is nothing we can do but shrug our shoulders, like Ronny.
Why even bother to question anything eh.
Its destiny.
FFS
HH
Awe_Naw…,
Come on,did you honestly expect anyone to give a monkeys about Scottish football, you’d probably struggle even if you were in England.
Glad to see a bit of perspective on the 5 months, that’s a disgrace, far more serious crimes are ignored by the courts every day, looks like the justice system has been told to keep the focus on football related incidents.
Since Christmas I have been asking the locals to name me one person professionally involved in Scottish football who´s name is not Gordon Strachan.
Nobody can give an answer.
SpellingismeCSC
Why do I get the feeling Paul67’s article above is in fact the boards full response to Ladbrooks undermining of our manager.
Eddie………………
I agree with the Sheriffs remarks that a flare or similar could cause panic and who knows what the result could be?
Serious injury, a fatality, possibly a child.
Can’t this happen? Is it not remotely possible?
If it is a million to one chance a child gets hurt or worse it’s not worth it.
Canamalar,
I would expect the extremely large ex pat community here in Germany with their plethora of 5 generation tims, SOuth Africans, Australia, New Zealand, Americans, Canandians, Swedish , Germans naturally, Turkish, Italians …. ENGLISH AND IRISH FFS
and this is in sports bars where I have hung out for the last 20 years….
It is different in China of course.
Old firm pish packaged for OUR self confessed morons to lovingly lap up
HH
Canamalar
the Irish and English are first generation … still they haven´t a scooby apart from the wee red heided guy the Scotland manager .. what´s his name
HH
High court in London has granted a death certificate for Lord Lucan
They are now trying to find out when DD was last at Celtic park
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION
What from Big DD via the coolmore mafia ??
anyone would think all he knows about fitba is Man united.
HH
Awe_Naw…,
Scottish football has all the publicity it works for, and has the best men in charge of that task, no ?
BLANTTRETIM
Does that mean he can claim the insurance(!)
CANAMALAR
The old firm Gospel eh ?
Praise be to the Old Firm
BT,
I’m sure he was last spotted at Celtic Park waiting at the bookies with his winning Shergar betting slip
I don’t really get the theory that Ladbrokes, the media, undercover wannabe hun bampots etc would try to undermine ronny.
just let him at it, he is doing a good job, …at undermining himself
And how words on a page or silly tweets affect the outcome of football matches is beyond me.
But don’t let me come between anyone and their paranoia.
Ronny will win the league, that is a foregone conclusion, but he isn’t good enough to do anything in Europe
Ok so what.
Any chance of the High Court in Edinburgh issuing a death certificate for the Huns? When liquidating is finalised ?
WITS,
WHY DO YOU THINK IT WAS DONE THEN ?
Philbhoy on 3rd February 2016 1:54 pm
Did you watch the video?
You are being over dramatic, you ever been to a game in Italy? Even guys in suits let off pyros, no one is going to die from someone letting off a pyro in a stadia. To actually believe otherwise is just stupidity.
Maybe if you had kids you would understand.
I know Magners may kill me eventually and that is a risk I happily and knowingly take.
I don’t expect to die in a football stadium as the result of panic after a flare or pyro has been thrown.
CELTIC PLC = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyCCJ6B2WE
SFA= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyCCJ6B2WE
SPFL = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyCCJ6B2WE
SEVCO = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyCCJ6B2WE
CQN = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyCCJ6B2WEcsc
Canamalar
If you are referring to the Ladbrokes tweet
I have no idea. I don’t follow twitter as a rule and to be honest if I was manager of a football club about to play what could be a championship winning game I certainly wouldn’t be on the Internet looking to see what silly people were saying about me
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the last Board meeting that was actually attended by Dermot Desmond in person, and not his representative?
I have gone back as far as 2006 in the Annual Reports, and by my count, he hasn’t attended any. If anyone knows better I’d greatly appreciate the pointer.
Also, is his representative still Michael Walsh?
Philbhoy,
Jeez, maybe you shouldn’t be going to football games if you spook so easily
Philbhoy on 3rd February 2016 2:14 pm
I’m not a fan of pyro and the young lad deserved some kind of punishment, he broke the law and was stupid enough to break his bail conditions.
But given that smoke bombs have been let off hundred if not thousands of times without panic ensuing, why would you think we’re all about to start crushing each other in terror?
PHILBHOY
Dunno about flares but I was in wi the Hibs fans when a CS canister was thrown into our section.
Match delayed big-time,it was nearly 6pm when it finished,as most people streamed onto the pitch. Not a good move,since CS gas settles.
I moved my mates up to the rear of the section out of harm’s way,but we still suffered from it. I was well below par for a week,lost nearly a stone in weight.
The point is,we shouldn’t be discussing the health issues here,the simple fact is that they are unwelcome in places they are not designed for. Aye,we get headlined for it more than others,so what’s the answer?
Stop using them,simple as that.
Canamalar
I go to the game with my daughter.
Should I not expect other supporters to respect our right to watch the match safely?
DAVIDOPOULOS
Ah,Dermot is a very clever man. He moves in the shadows,unbeknownst to most observers.
He has even been known to disguise himself with a dodgy tache,but yet,they seek him and shall not find
“And how words on a page or silly tweets affect the outcome of football matches is beyond me.”
Wits,
How many think the epl is the greatest league in the world?
How many believed Lewis mcleod was worth the oodles of dosh that helped sevco limp towards season book renewal time?
Don’t underestimate the power of word.
HH
WITS,
You made a clear statement about undermining and how you can’t see it as undermining yet when you’re asked what it was about then, you completely avoid the question and haver about what you’d do if you were manager ffs it was a simple enough question that followed on from your statement.
Nobody cares what you’d do if you wee manager it’s never going to happen but the motive behind Ladbrooks starting rumours about our manager is a interesting issue than I expect plenty would like to know the answer to.
WITS
As league sponsor I expect Ladbrokes to be promoting it.
Give me one positive aspect to what they did? I can only see it as painting our league and Scottish football in general as so rubbish that not winning a treble is a sackable offence.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
He wears a dodgy mustache over his dodgy mustache??? Ingenius…unconventional but ingenius!
Alllll Stand.
http://www.indycelts.com/a-legal-minefield/
PHILBHOY on 3RD FEBRUARY 2016 2:25 PM
Canamalar
‘I go to the game with my daughter.’
###
Are you not concerned about your daughter being killed in a road traffic accident whilst travelling to or from the game?
Why risk it?
For God sake man why risk your daughter’s life in this way?
Please, please, for the sake of the children, don’t ever let them leave the house.
STRINGER BELL
I R.I,P´ed you already.. tut tut with me applying this new filter your moronic observations got through to me once again
No they are not ignoring me at all. Why do you think that ? I think it is because it conflicts with your tiny minded world view.
They are in my company for very long time. They seem very affable regardless what language we are speaking in they all say the same and I quote “STRINGER BELL another über moron that does not like his tiny wee mind upset. I blame his parents brought him up very poorly.”
I told them quicker to say a gullible imbecile
STRINGER-BELL R.I.P
HH
Geordie Munro on 3rd February 2016 2:27 pm
How many believed lewis mcleod was worth the oodles of dosh that helped sevco limp towards season book renewal time?
Don’t underestimate the power of word.
*still no played for his new team yet and the charlatan that signed him was complaining about one of his players being yellow carded for gesticulating at the crowd last week.
That led to his being red carded as it was his second yellow, nae big deal as it was in the closing stages of the game and they were 2 up.
Still it worked as Raith were denied a perfectly good goal last night, a goal that may have cost sevco at least 2 points. Meanwhile the red carded player scored the winner for them.
Has tonight come to early for Broonie?
If deemed so then I am a little concerned about our centre mids ability to protect defense.
Bitton will stand around a lot passing sideways and backwards offering no protection to centre backs due to his poor tackling and positional play while Johansen runs around a lot with little purpose.
Weeminger.
Correct.
DAVIDOPOULOS
He’s rarely seen,I rest my case.