Deila’s timing on the button in TV scheduling farce

RONNY DEILA has a definite point. Celtic hosting Aberdeen is Scottish football’s game of the season so far. A genuine, edgy title stand-off with the potential to be a decent spectacle. For that alone, it deserves better than a place on the undercard as the warm-up act for Norwich City against Ipswich Town. Scottish football fans — and managers — are rightly irked by this stuff now. Any game kicking off at 12noon is ridiculous. For this particular game to kick off at midday is blatantly disrespectful to the Scottish game. This is the first time since Hearts in 1986 that any team outwith Rangers has launched a serious championship challenge to Celtic at this stage of the season. It is unique, novel and exciting — if you live in Scotland. To Sky — the lords and paymasters of British football — it is clearly an utter irrelevance. A support act for a local derby between two English Championship clubs that people in their own towns don’t give a stuff about. This is what happens when you sell your soul to the devil. Scottish football was in a bad way in 2012. The game was so desperate to retain the cash of broadcasters, a deal was taken on any terms. Even if it meant telling the paying customers — the meat and drink of the game — to go shove it. No wonder Scottish fans now feel hacked off, shoved around and taken for granted. On any given day, it is impossible to predict what time a Scottish Premiership game will kick off. The situation is now farcical. Aberdeen supporters face a three-hour drive to Glasgow tomorrow. Most will leave at 8am on Sunday for a game of football which, by rights, really should be a bigger deal than Norwich v Ipswich. The tail is now wagging the dog. And the dog is so grateful it’s eating scraps from the table. Deila (left) was wrong on one thing, though. We won’t really be playing games at 10am any time soon. That would play havoc with Goals-on-Sunday!