Sky Noon is no time for a shoot-out, blasts Deila
RONNY DEILA has criticised Sky for refusing to give Celtic’s Premiership stand-off with Aberdeen the prime-time billing he thinks it merits.
A midday kick-off on Sky Sports 3 for a game between the champions and a Dons side a mere three points behind them i s disrespectful, believes the Norwegian. Even more so when the Norwich-Ipswich match has been granted a 2pm slot on the same channel.
Add in the inconvenience to Dons fans travelling 150 miles south from the Granite City, and the Parkhead boss is less than impressed.
‘I don’t understand it,’ he said. ‘I understand that television are controlling it and, because they want to have it on Sky Sports, we have to play before everyone else in England because that it is the most important thing. But when does it stop? Are we going to play at 10 o’clock soon? It’s about the crowd as well: we have to think of the fans. At 3 o’clock more people come and it would be a bigger game. This should be prime time.’
That particular slot in Sky’s schedules i s taken up by the Carling Cup Final. That a genuine — and rare — title challenge to Celtic by Aberdeen has been shunted back to accommodate a modest, English Championship derby, however, irks many in these parts. This game, Deila believes, deserves better.
‘I think so. They (Sky) have to answer why but it gets earlier and earlier now. I don’t think there will be 50,000 at that (Norwich) game. This is a huge game, the support is unbelievable and the interest is very good. Twelve o’clock is not good.’
It would be nice, if naive, to think the situation will change soon. Yet Scottish football has become accustomed to i ts slot as a second-rate pursuit to Londonbased broadcasters.
It’s a situation created by a re c e nt lack of meaningful competition at the top of the game. Aberdeen’s rise has blindsided everyone, most of all Sky. For that reason, there is the potential for an edgy, niggling encounter tomorrow.
Ten-man Celtic had a sapping night in the San Siro, another reason Deila feels exasperated by the early kick-off time.
Yet there is, he insisted, no lack of mental alertness or desire to t ake a major step t owards four-in-a-row.
‘ The le a g ue is t he most important thing,’ he said. ‘ The only thing I was thinking when I was finished with the Milan game was: “I want more of this, I want to play these games at this level,” and I saw (it in) the players as well. If we want that, Sunday is the time to show it.’
On the two-hour flight home from Italy, Deila watched a re-run of his side’s 4- 0 victory over Hamilton last Sunday. Explaining why, he risked irking tomorrow’s opponents when he said: ‘The game on Sunday will be more like Hamilton than Inter, because we are playing at home and have to attack more than we did there.’
It is, he conceded, Celtic’s most important domestic game of the season. Win and they have the potential to be nine points clear by Thursday after hosting St Johnstone in midweek. For that reason, Deila believes the game is more important to Aberdeen.
‘I don’t think it’s a cup final for us, I do think it’s a cup final for Aberdeen,’ he claimed. ‘But we want to win and we know what’s in it if we win, we can be nine points ahead of them with the goal difference as well and then it’s going to be tough to peg us back.
‘It was tough for us in Milan but, again, this is a big game. It’s easier to meet Aberdeen than to meet — no offence — St Mirren or Motherwell because we know we have to be really up there to beat them.’
Nevertheless Deila, with more conviction than he could have mustered six months ago, believes his team will win the title. Aberdeen have done nothing to disagree, insisting all the while Celtic are favourites. Yet Deila believes such talk is just cod psychology.
‘They don’t have anything else to play for and they strengthened their team in January as well, so of course they are wanting to win the league,’ he noted. ‘If not, why do you even do football? They want to win? Of course, this is to lower the expectations.’
Some at Aberdeen have let the mask slip. Willo Flood, a former Celtic player, expressed the view last week that the champions showed they were fearful of his side when they celebrated a 2-1 victory at Pittodrie in November with some gusto.
‘ No, we don’t fear anybody,’ parried Celtic skipper Scott Brown. ‘We were down to 10 in the San Siro and didn’t fear Inter, so why are we going to fear Aberdeen?
‘They can talk themselves up if they want. We’ll talk ourselves up but it really comes down to what happens in the 90 minutes. It’ll be a good game. They’re keen and they look like a good football side. Derek McInnes has done a good job but we’re a good team as well and we’ll push them to their limits and see how far they’re willing to go.’