A busy week for Stephen Glancey and Kenny Neison, the chief executive and chief financial officer of the Bulmers/Magners cidermaker C&C, which wants to bring the Spirit Pub Company home with it. Spirit is playing hard to get. Let's see if it can resist a €1 billion indecent proposal.

Glancey and Neison, a pair of Scots, hosted a media conference call on Wednesday to discuss C&C's disappointing interim results. There was a moment of near poignancy, however, when conversation turned to their beloved Glasgow Celtic, which was knocked out of the Champions' League in August.

Football fans like a drink or 10 when there's a match on. Glancey said the forthcoming Scotland v Ireland international qualifier might give a little boost to C&C's brands in Scotland.

“It might even help compensate for Celtic’s poor performance,” he sniffed, before falling silent. Neison, possibly overcome, grunted in agreement.