da fezbet： Speaking exclusively to The Herald, former Celtic manager Ronny Deila has opened up about his spell in Glasgow, feeling that his time at the club was not the failure some people characterise it as.
What’s the story?
da brwin： Deila is now back in Norway managing Valarenga but took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with The Herald and talk through the last few years of his career.
By the end of his reign at Celtic he was a divisive figure in the support, many feeling that the job had become too big for him and others feeling that in delivering two titles in a row that he deserved another season.
Deila himself reckons that his time at the club was a success and is proud of achieving what he did as a Norwegian coming into British football.
As quoted by The Herald, the ex-Celtic boss said:
I know what British football is about now. I know the culture and I would be much more comfortable if I went into a similar situation. In my eyes, I wasn’t a failure. And also, if you look at the Scandinavian people, only one man has lasted more than two years in British football and that was Sven Goran Eriksson.
It’s an interesting take on his time in Scotland and although he never took Celtic to great heights in Europe or delivered the kind of consistency we’re seeing at the club under Brendan Rodgers, his two title wins have been absolutely vital in Celtic’s quest for the hallowed ’10-in-a-row’.
Failure?
Deila won two league trophies and league cup at Celtic, also guiding them to the Round of 32 in the UEFA Europa League in his first season, the only time in the last four seasons they have seen European football after Christmas.
His failure to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League is a mark against his record and ultimately may have been what cost him his job. A devastating defeat to Rangers in last year’s Scottish Cup semi-final also played a huge part.
If Celtic do go on to win ten consecutive titles in a row then Deila’s place in Celtic history will be secure and any manager that wins back-to-back league titles can’t be considered a failure.
Still, it was the right time for him to depart and we’ve seen this season just how big an impact a manager of real quality and experience can make at Celtic Park.
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