Ronny Deila has insisted hes got no issue with the critics whove turned their guns on him after four months in the Celtic job. Despite going joint top of their Europa League group with a 2-1 win over FC Astra on Thursday, Celtics error-strewn display put the Norwegian firmly in the firing line. Former Parkhead player turned TV pundit Chris Sutton led the volley of criticism by describing the performance against the Romanians as pathetic. Such stinging words came on the back of a string of indifferent displays across all competitions with Deilas side currently sitting sixth in the table having only won three successive games once this season. The 39-year-old says he has no beef with anyone taking a verbal swipe at him, however, and insists his only concern is finding a permanent solution to his sides erratic form. I havent seen so much from the critics as I try to avoid anything like that, he said. But I know that at every big club you get this. Im used to it from Norway as well. I can handle the critics no problem - but if I dont see the answer, then my brain is starting to work overtime. Ive been a big-mouth myself before. Back home, I was talking in big words about how Norwegian football should be. I upset a few other managers in Norway with things I said. I had a lot of arguments. But I was young. I understand the rules now - talk about yourself and your club, thats the most important thing. The worst feeling I can have is that I cant solve the problem, if I feel I cant see the next step. Im using the hours to reflect on things we are doing now. Despite being roundly criticised for the display in Thursdays 2-1 win, Deilas has presided over five wins from the past six matches. But he readily accepts that the inconsistency his side have shown both game-to-game and within matches is something that has to be eradicated. Its hard at the start, he added. There are tough times and good times - we are going up and down all the time right now. But thats part of the job. You can take one game here and there and get positives. People were positive after Ross County then negative maybe after Thursday because it didnt happen quickly enough. On Thursday night it looked like they were a little bit afraid to lose. But when we went 1-0 up, suddenly everything was going smooth and quick. We need to get that freedom into our play. You saw that against Ross County after the first goal as well. We have to focus on that on Sunday against Kilmarnock. While acknowledging the need to produce more quality performances in the short-term, Deila has asked to be judged by the success or otherwise he brings over the course of the campaign. Again I have to say I think I have been very clear in my goals this season – that we want to go through in the Europa League and we want to win the Treble he stated. Winning the league is the main thing. If I dont do that, or we dont do that, I will understand that I have the problem. Deila, who met with chief executive Peter Lawwell at Lennoxtown on Friday to discuss scouting, revealed that James Forrest is nearing his return to the first-team squad. However, the winger is unlikely to be involved against Kilmarnock on Saturday. He could have played by now but we want to get him fitter so we can hopefully get more consistency in his play. So we are patient with him, he added. He is a top player and we know he can make a difference in the team. Its very important that if he is going to be the player he can be, we do everything we can to manage his situation. He has taken full part in training this week, so thats positive. HH -PP-
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 05:29:27 +0000
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