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.”
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
%3Cp%3ESylhet%2C%20Bangladesh%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20results%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ELost%20to%20Sri%20Lanka%20by%2011%20runs%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20fixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ETue%20Oct%204%2C%20v%20India%3Cbr%3EWed%20Oct%205%2C%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EFri%20Oct%207%2C%20v%20Thailand%3Cbr%3ESun%20Oct%209%2C%20v%20Pakistan%3Cbr%3ETue%20Oct%2011%2C%20v%20Bangladesh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Tim Paine (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner
