Ladbrokes PR aim for Ronny ahead of critical game

333

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.
capture-20160203-121608
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:

Book here.

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.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

333 Comments

  1. What is the Stars on

    Canamalar

     

     

    Look

     

    Do you not think its ridiculous for grown men to whinge about stories that appear on twitter and in newspapers (newspapers that most profess never to read)

     

     

    Its all very juvenile

     

     

    I couldn’t care less what Ladbrokes were at,

     

    But on a serious note,please explain to me if you have the patience how that tweet is going to have a negative affect on Ronny or on Celtics performance tonight

     

     

    Please

  2. Just saw a Tweet from SSE, apparently Sevco have signed up for a Direct Debit, Wow. It’s true they are on their way back.

  3. Canamalar it looks like OCD obsession on

    Philbhoy,

     

    Naw, you are getting carried away and making out its a real and common threat, it no, never gas and never will become a common threat, which is why I suggested if you believe it will maybe football is a but too boisterous for you.

  4. Canamalar

     

     

    I am not getting carried away and you are twisting and spinning again.

     

     

    You could start a row in an empty house.

     

     

    And don’t take care.

  5. What is the Stars on

    Philbhoy

     

     

    Leave Canamalar alone

     

     

    I am fighting with him now,you had your chance,get back in the queue

  6. WITS

     

     

    He’s all yours Buddy!

     

     

    I’m done with him.

     

     

    But I agree about the queue!

     

     

    :-)

  7. Wooft…would not like to be on the blog, if the unthinkable happens later.

     

    But it wont….1-0 to the good guys…Leigh Griff.

     

    C,mon the Celts.

     

     

    HH

  8. Canamalar it looks like OCD obsession on

    WITS,

     

    The point was/is, what possessed a firm the size of Ladbrooks, who sponsor the SPFL to make the statement, regardless of the media they used, you appear to be dismissing it because of the media outlet they used. IMO it makes no difference which outlet they used, the issue is the SPFL sponsor made a statement publicly questioning the tenure of our manager.

     

    Ok you don’t rate him, again neither here nor there.

     

    The meeja we expect drivel like this but league sponsors,

     

    My take, which you have zero interest in or you’d have asked

     

    They tried to drum up some betting, and this IMO is abusing their position and should be reprimanded at least, for me, the club should be clearing out the Ladbrooks stalls and replacing them with a competitor.

  9. Beatbhoy,

     

     

    But if what you are saying is how many Celtic fans think sevco and rangers are one and the same because we don’t call them The Rangers, I’d say none.

     

     

    HH

  10. Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on

    CANAMALAR

     

     

    0. Flares

     

     

    1.The club should be clearing out the Ladbroke stalls. Finito

     

    2.No advertising alcohol anywhere.

     

    3. Vocal and pro active with regards the Sectarian FA.

     

     

    They need to get their priorites right

     

     

    But their singular modus of operandi is making not losing money Hence why we have 0,1,2,3 and in that priority

     

     

    The numbnuts just do as they are told and tell us we are paranoid. Our own … amazing eh? … green huns ra lot thum

     

     

    HH

  11. TINYTIM

     

     

    Just follow the Celtic buses, they’ll get you there!

     

     

    I’ve got a good feeling about tonight, not worried at all.

     

     

     

    But keep an eye on the mib.

  12. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    Thanks to Dennis Setterington’s Scuffed Espadrilles for his Pabloesque e-mail; no one can accuse him of not tryin’, or not carin’.

     

     

    But he should have saved his efforts for a more deservin’ cause.

     

     

    Modren CQN is rubidge.

  13. Canamalar it looks like OCD obsession on

    Awe_Naw…,

     

    To think most would be divorced by now if their spouses treated them like this board do.

  14. Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on

    I would be confident about tonight except for Mc Lean. He will even things up and I predict a draw

     

     

    HH

  15. 3-2

     

    Tae the HOOOOOOOOPS in a great game , i’m always confident we will get a result,time enough afterwards if we dont.

     

    HAIL HAIL & KTF

  16. Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on

    CANAMALAR

     

     

    or doon Blythswood square … some of them like it

     

     

    HH

  17. What is the Stars on

    Canamalar

     

     

    I agree with your analysis of the Ladbrokes tweet

     

     

    The secondary issue ( or for some the main issue) How does it actually affect the teams performance tonight.

     

    Answer ;; It doesn’t affect it in the least

     

    So Ladbrokes want a bit of publicity that’s what these big corporations do.

     

     

    What I was reading on here was the reaction to it ( oh us poor little tims everyone hates us blah blah)

     

    Everyone doesn’t hate us and so what if some do.

     

    Celtic are one the most successful sporting club/organisation on the planet.

     

    Build a bridge get over it.Let the board refuse to have them as sponsors next year or whenever the contract runs out

  18. eddieinkirkmichael on

    Stringer Bell on 3rd February 2016 3:08 pm – I’m friendly with Gerry, we go along to junior games together when Celtic aren’t playing at home. I have spoken to Gerry at length re Institutional racism in Scotland, it is to his credit that he now accepts that the issue hasn’t been addressed by most institutions in our wee country.

     

     

    ernie lynch on 3rd February 2016 3:15 pm – I totally agree you, what I will say however is that 10 years ago Gerry thought both Celtic and Rangers fans were as bad as each other, he now has no doubts that the problem almost entirely comes from one side.

     

    Scotland still has a reluctance to look at it ‘self honestly in regards to anti Irish racism and particularly institutional sectarianism. I can see progress being made now compared to when I was growing up in the 70’s in Drumchapel.

  19. Awe naw

     

    i forgot about that bad yin,

     

    Still 3-2 it is, i can feel it in my water :)))))))))))

     

     

    To our magnificent travelling support ,SAFE HOME

  20. Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on

    WITS

     

     

    your failing to understand that it is all about greedy Irish tory bassas ….. one in particular

     

     

    HH

  21. Tiny Tim,

     

     

    Is that some sort of prediction that will allow you to come on tomorrow and say you told everyone we’d lose?

  22. Geordie

     

     

    You sure about that?

     

     

    Have you seen the frequency of the words ‘back’ ‘return’ ‘again’,in the context of Sevco appearing for the first time in the top tier of Scottish football, in posts on here? It was what got me posting, rather than lurking, in the first place. (yeah, they’ve got a lot to answer for!)

     

     

    But, it wasn’t that. It was a wee discussion we had a short while back in which you said you weren’t too bothered about the use of the name Rangers rather than The Rangers when referring to the club you called Sevco today. (My preference, too ).

     

     

    The power of word. ‘The’, which they officially use on the RIFC website helps, at least, to weaken the continuity myth. It still, however, breaks Company Law with regard to a liquidated business shedding debt and starting up again. You said you didn’t believe they could get away with doing that, I put up some evidence that they have, though I am absolutely no expert on this, but you never got back to me to say whether what I posted altered your thoughts on this. or, if you did, I clearly missed it.

     

     

    I was very pleased to see you use ‘Sevco’ today though!

  23. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    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

     

    – ———

     

    Two. And look where they are now:-)

  24. Canamalar it looks like OCD obsession on

    WITS,

     

    I’m looking at this from a purely business point of view. As I said it is an abuse of position, I also expect your opinion is tied up with your of the importance of the manager. Had it been MON, Lenny or GS, I expect you might consider it more of an issue regardless of the impact on the manager of team performance.

     

    As I said I believe they overstepped the mark and would have expected the club to take action but not this board, I think this article by P67 is as far as the board are willing to go.

  25. My friends in Celtic,

     

     

    Passing the time before kick off. A few observations prior to watching the hoops.

     

     

    Yes MOM would get in our boardroom club as he has an OBE.

     

     

    Link up formally with a Chinese club, I know we post videos etc for our Chinese fans, but as we approach the Chinese New Year a mega deal with a Chinese club could be really financially advantageous. It is reputed that Crystal Palace at one time had the biggest fan base in the world due to A particular Chinese player.

     

     

    Entice Rio Ferdinand out of media retirement to teach us the art of defending. Yes I would even have both Rio and John Terry for a short term basis.

     

     

    Thinking outside the box csc v HenryKissingercsc.

     

    COYBIG.

  26. lennon’s passion on 3rd February 2016 4:08 pm

     

     

    Sorry but it makes the day pass quicker.

  27. Beatbhoy,

     

     

    I still see no proof of people who think they are the same club because we don’t call the The Rangers.

     

     

    You’re argument back then was ‘even they call themselves The Rangers international blah blah whatever they are’.

     

     

    But so do Celtic (about themselves) on accounts and the like.

     

     

    Surely nobody in our support sees us as two different things?

     

     

    HH

  28. Lennon n Mc....Mjallby on

    This is not the time for sandwich board patter,c’mon Ronny and the Bhoys the night!

  29. I should have added…

     

     

    They can have one name or twenty, they are different in my eyes.