Glasgow // Ronny Deila has insisted he will get to see the season out as Celtic manager as speculation continues to grow about his future.
The Hoops manager announced in midweek that he would be stepping down in the summer following two years in charge of the Glasgow giants.
However, after being held to a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Ross County on Sunday the Celtic manager was visited in the dressing room by club chief executive Peter Lawwell for talks.
But Deila, whose side are nine points clear of Aberdeen with four games remaining, claimed he will still be given the opportunity to lead his side to a fifth consecutive Scottish Premiership title.
“He spoke to me -- he didn’t speak to the players,” Deila said. “But we speak to each other all the time so it’s nothing new.
“It’s not like I’m going to quit tomorrow if that’s what you think.
“I’m going to stay here for the rest of the season and do everything I can to get us over the line and perform better than we did today.”
Deila’s announcement had done little to boost the numbers or atmosphere within Celtic Park following last weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Old Firm rivals Rangers.
Leigh Griffiths fired Celtic into a 23rd-minute lead with a sizzling shot that briefly lit up a subdued crowd at Celtic Park before a sensational strike from Stewart Murdoch levelled the match in the 64th minute.
The full-time whistle was greeted with jeers from the home support, who vented their anger at Deila and his players.
The Norwegian manager said he could understand the supporters’ frustrations but said everyone at the club now needed to stick together.
“There’s been a lot of other things than football this week and that affects the players a little bit,” Deila admitted.
“The atmosphere is not helping them, I can assure you. You can see that in the confidence of some of the boys. But these are the circumstances right now and I can also understand the fans as well.
“The weekend has been good because if you look at the results we are nine points ahead.
“Now we just need to stick together, work really hard and have fun in the last four games and get the best out of each other.
“I think this club is a special place and there are enormous demands here. To be a team that has been in European finals and to see the way they are now -- it is a different time.
“There are always going to be disagreements but it is important that when we play we stand together and end the season well and seal five in a row. That’s not happened many times in history as well and we have an opportunity to get into the Champions League.”
Despite the draw, the Hoops could clinch the championship with a win away to Hearts next Saturday if Aberdeen fail to pick up maximum points in their match with Motherwell.
Indeed, a draw would be enough if Aberdeen were to lose.
Keeper Craig Gordon said the players can’t allow the situation at the club to distract them in their pursuit of a league title.
“We probably wanted more from the season than where we are at the moment but it’s up to us over the last four games of the season now to get the job done,” Gordon said.
“We need to get to the summer and make sure we’ve won the title and then we can start again for next season.
“The manager’s not going to be here but the fans are going to be here and the players are going to be here so we have to make sure we’re doing it for each other and make sure we’re doing enough to win games.”
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
The biog
Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
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Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
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The specs
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
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Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
