So, as expected , we got Ronny Deila as manager. Peter Lawwell introduced him at a press conference yesterday, and he seems to have gone down well with the supporters.
Peter Lawwell explained why he’s chosen the Norwegian;
“It’s been a very hectic two weeks since Neil resigned and we’ve seen a lot of good candidates, but I’m delighted today that we’ve got Ronny who was the most outstanding.
“He’s a very intelligent guy and a modern coach who, I feel, is just what we need at the moment.
“Apart from his intelligence, which is his main attribute, he’s got a track record. He really picked up a small club who were going nowhere and built them into champions.
“I guess it’s a bit like Aberdeen or Dundee Untied winning the SPFL because he had to compete with Molde and Rosenborg, so not only does he have the theory and the intelligence, he’s got the track record there as well.
“He is on the rise and highly sought after. We have a lot of good connections down south, people who we hold in high regard in terms of their judgement and they alerted us to Ronny a long time ago.
“When Stefan Johansen came here, he was highly complimentary and I spoke to Stefan this week before we made the approach and he was very positive about him. So when the opportunity came, we were delighted to go and talk to him.
“We’re at the start of a new journey. We’ve got an outstanding young coach who I’m sure will be absolutely first-class.
“We want to dominate Scottish football and keep on winning and we want to win the Celtic way, and I think Ronny will bring that.”
Deila was the proverbial kid on christmas morning;
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s been the best day of my life. I’m so proud to be the manager of Celtic Football Club. It’s a huge task for me and I’m looking forward to getting started in the job.
“We did well in Strømsgodset and I had a fantastic time there, but when the chance came to join Celtic I just felt it was right,” he explained.
“I spoke with the people at Celtic and I felt the values of the club were ones that I could feel at home with. I like to play good, attacking football, while I also try to be a good person and treat people well. And, for me, Celtic is just like a family.
“I’ve already seen how the fans welcomed me here to Celtic Park today. Scottish people are very friendly – they’re very similar to Norwegians in that way.
“My message to our supporters is this – I’m going to give everything to Celtic. My life is all about Celtic. We’re going to attack and we’re going to have energy on the pitch, to give something back to the supporters and I know that the atmosphere that we’ll all create in Celtic Park will make it very hard for any opponent.”
There wasn’t really much else he could say. He comes across as enthusiastic, but for the moment still has the air of an innocent abroad, but hopefully theres a wee bit of steel holding him together. He’ll need it. Presumably he wasn’t including the press in his “Scottish people are friendly ” observation.
Being a professional bunch, they couldn’t wait to ask him about his stripping episode, pictures of which are available on most peoples wifes phone.
‘I am not so happy about that,’ he grinned. ‘I hope I am more fit now than I was then.
‘What can I say? It was a bet between the fans and me in 2009. We lost the old players because we didn’t have any money, so we had to play a young team.
‘It was critical point in the season and I said on television that if we stay up, I will strip. We stayed up and the clothes went off but the pictures were not so good. I wish they had got a better angle.’
Is he going to do it again ?
‘We agreed that if we win the Champions League.’
Well, lets hope that statement comes back and bites him on the arse. So to speak, I’ll think we’ll leave his arse where it is for now.
On the players, Deila told us;
“There is a lot of consistency in the squad and Neil Lennon has done a fantastic job,I have to do a lot of the same things and take the positives that are there.
“The defence has been fantastic and it’s about creating my type of player over time. I will look to stay attacking on the field but not do too many different things in the beginning.
“The players have to feel safe and we have to progress over time.”
“It’s a very good squad,” he added. “It is good in Scotland and we always want to be in the Champions League so that’s the standard.
“We have to create players and we have to get players in who can play at that European standard and that takes time, but now a lot of players have done well and play in their national teams, so everything is there to have a good season.”
On Stefan Johansen, the man he sold to Celtic in January-he said ( Hang on did he know then he was coming ? Thats what they say about Stein selling Simpson to Celtic when he was at Hibs…)
“He sent me a text message to tell me he was happy at my appointment, but I spoke to him about three weeks ago in Strømsgodset.
“He was telling me he’s really enjoying being at Celtic and living in Glasgow and I can understand why he said that because, already, it’s been fantastic for me.
“I want to get the best out of every player. If you’re at Celtic you have to improve. You can’t be satisfied with how you are.
“If you’re going to go forward in football, everyone needs to progress and you have to work hard as one group and go in the same direction, and if we do that we’ll get good results and win trophies.”
The press can’t praise him enough. I’m sorry, that should read ” The press can’t praise him at all. ”
The Record had the headline
Ronny Deila’s mum doubted he’d
make a career out of football but landing
Celtic job has changed her mind
No, I can’t see the point he’s making either.
The Daily Mails Stephen McGowan warned…
It’s undeniable that Deila ia a risky choice. He has never managed in the Champions League but will be expected to negotiate three rounds of qualifying within six weeks. Failure will place him under immediate and sustained pressure.
How a Scandinavian coach with no experience of British football will cope with the demands and pressure of Celtic is the million dollar question. At Stromsgodset the average crowd was 6000. At Celtic they will be ten times that on European nights. This is a club where managers with greater experience than Ronny Deila have been chewed up and spat out like old tobacco.
…..in an insular landscape like Scotland people are already racking their brains for examples of Norwegian managers succeeding in British football.
Because that matters….
Then there was Roddy Forsyth in the Telegraph, which takes itself seriously as far as newspapers go, which makes it surprising that Forsyth is given a job there.
Celtic beguiled by Ronny Deila, the man from nowhere
No, no….Norway. Its a bit to the left of Sweden.
It would take a great deal to turn a team from Drammen into a crisis but Paul Le Guen’s failure at Ibrox is a warning
What on earth has Paul le Guen got to do with it ? Why not compare it to Wim Jansens success in stopping the ten ? Oh, I think we know why….
Celtic attempted to lure legends and were rebuffed. Roy Keane turned them down with a characteristic touch of disdain, saying that he would not “take a pay cut for anybody”.
He was credited with that quip, yes, but I think it was more along the lines of “I don’t wish to be considered for the job ” when he withdrew from the race for the job- a line he took when he realised that Lawwell was serious when he thanked him for his time and said there were other people he wanted to talk to. If Keane wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t have turned up for the interview.
Henrik Larsson was savvy enough to appreciate the need to supplement his managerial experience before taking charge of the club where he has the status of a demigod.
Er, no. Larsson was under contract, he said so, and he has been known to honour contracts. No matter who tries to entice him out of them. Martin O’ Neill says Manchester Utd offered £14m for him, but Larsson wasn’t interested.
Having reached fruitlessly for charisma,Celtic were beguiled by a man from nowhere, which – with respect to the undoubtedly professional and enthusiastic board and staff of Stromsgodset IF – is exactly where their team was located on the map of Hoops fans’ knowledge of the world game.
And Forsyths…
The implication here is that Deila has no charisma or personality.
Yes , he does seem a shy, retiring type.
Their most notable result in European football was an 11-0 aggregate defeat by Liverpool in 1974.
Its a little harsh, even by MSM standards, to associate him with a game that took place two years before he was born.
Stromsgodset, who hail from Drammen, Norway’s ninth largest city, are rather more celebrated at home as the team which won the Tippiligaen in 2013, for the first time in 43 years.
Another way of putting it is “they are the current champions “
They did so under Ronny Deila, a former teacher and something of an exhibitionist, as he demonstrated by stripping down to his underpantsand throwing his clothes into the crowd after one victory in 2009. With that in mind, he had better buy himself some spare rigouts because, whatever we will ultimately remember about Deila’s reign at Celtic, he is certainly the first incoming manager of an Old Firm club to be guaranteed to win the Scottish title before a ball is kicked.
Nothing is guaranteed, but this last line shows a complete lack of disrespect for the new guy from someone who clearly knows very, very little about him. Forsyth is suggesting anyone could win the league with Celtic, but whilst it may be likely, it certainly isn’t guaranteed.
Michael Grant, in the Herald, summed it all up best;
A quietly impressive display of intelligence,
warmth and wit
Last I heard the other journalists were discussing the use of the word “intelligence “, and wondering what it meant.
Perhaps the most important people in all this are the players. Scott Brown spoke for them;
“It’s going to be exciting. It always is when a new manager comes in, and he’ll bring his own philosophy.
“When you have a new manager at the start of the season you know he’s going to focus on different points. He’s going to have different aspects in training and games, and what he expects from us.
“It’s ideal and he’s a young manager. He’s about the same age as Neil Lennon when he took over. It’s a good thing to give someone young a chance.
“He’s produced the goods in Norway by taking a side from just about nowhere to the top of the league, and that’s great.
“He’s not long out of football himself, he finished just a few years ago, so he’ll know what we want to do and what he wants to do. I’m sure he’ll focus as much as possible on getting the ball down and playing good, sharp, passing football.
“I think managers thrive off the kind of pressure that comes with being at Celtic. It’ll be a great experience, especially that first time he walks out at Celtic Park and there are 60,000 fans there just to see him. He’ll love every moment.”
“He had Stefan ( Johansen ) over in Norway and we’ve already seen what a good player he is, and if he worked underneath him there, I’m sure he’ll be wanting to take him to the next level here. I’m sure he’ll know how to do that.
“It was myself, Stefan, Kris (Commons) and Charlie (Mulgrew) that was the midfield diamond for the majority of the games.
“When Stefan came in, you’re not sure how he’d cope with the physical challenges, but he gets stuck in and that’s what we love about him.”
He’s already over the loss of Neil Lennon, and it does illustrate how fickle the world of professional football can be.
I’ve not spoken to, or read about a single Celtic supporter who isn’t looking forward to next season. The level of interest and even excitement has increased, and although Champions League football is a priority, it would have to be a spectacular crash if we failed to make at least the Europa League group stages, something that the MSM have forgotten exists when they speak of the cost of failure in the upcoming qualifiers.
Europe after Christmas , the league and at least a cup would make Deila a hero.
Unless its a complete train wreck, he’ll get a few months grace while he implements his new ideas, but encouragingly, he says he wants to make any changes slowly, which is the correct way to do it. The squad doesn’t need an overhaul, just a few improvements.
So, welcome to Celtic Ronny, and lets see what you can do.
No. Thats not what I meant at all.
The Brazilian Ronaldo is currently the top scorer in combined World Cup finals tournaments with fifteen, one ahead of Gerd Muller and Miroslav Klose , the latter being in this years German squad, giving him a chance to break that record.
World Cup final tournaments again, and which player has played in the most matches ?
” WE ARE GOING TO ATTACK ” – Ronny Deila.
I believe Celtic have made a fantastic appointment, we are all behind you Ronny HH!
P.S.
Peter Lawwell, give this man a chance & let him bring in some real quality to Celtic, it is important for the squad to make a few quality signings, it also lifts the support. HH!
I concur,Monti.Ronnie bhoy has got something,and I hope he
makes the Zombie press sycophants,eat their words.As for PL
and quality signings,No CHANCE.The bold Peter,says ” it’s a new journey”Alas,first-class signings won’t be part of this journey.
There will be NO Sutty type target-man.A must,for Champions
League football.NO creative Snodgrass type either.Ronnie will
have to be a MIRACLE WORKER to compete in the dizzy heights
of the CL.Still NO Commons signed up,for a longer term.Which is worrying.Although,good business tying up Izzy and Lustig.
Agree 100%
I haven’t found myself looking forward so much to a new season.
Can’t wait.
A very positive article Ralph. Ronnie’s appointment certainly makes me keen to see the impact on the pitch and hopefully see more seats filled at home games. Most appearances I think could be Lothar Matthaus. I also thought of Roger Milla but perhaps he was the oldest player to score at the world cup finals. Da do Ronn Ronn Ronn Da do Ronn Ronn!
Is it Dino Zoff ?
Welcome to Celtic Ronny I am liking the cut of your jib already.
Ralph,
I total agree with you…the media can’t wait to input negative comments about Ronny or any link with Celtic.
I stopped buying all the scottish tabloid years ago, as its all pish stained, bigots with blue tinted glasses.
10 in a row….lets rub it in their faces!!
Hail, Hail
All things Celtic..
Did not like his statement that we would play attractive football especially at home ,has no one told him we expect attractive winning football at away matches also
NO WAY NORWAY STOP THE BLOODY WHALING
Did somebody spill your pint?
Bam
deadhead67
You mean the kind of “away, is that football” you watch down the Slum somewhere behind a car park in Govan. Oh, and by the way, you will probably be watching a great deal of demolition in the next months but it wont be the derby kind, home or away.
H H
I am happy with the appointment have said for years we must make more of our youth system or why bother having one, from what I have read Ronny will give youth a chance.
Hail hail,Ronny and welcome to theJungle
Ps the scottish press are just pure wankers I never buy any of the rags now.
Is it Cafu of Brazil ?
HAIL HAIL RONNY! Deadhead ffs….. No right minded person could agree with the killing of one our most beautiful creatures…. but on this page? really? love you anyway!
Not been this excited since John Barnes. Heres praying the outcomes not the same…
Notice how the amateur Scottish MSM decided not to pick up on Deila’s endorsement from Jurgen Klopp.
“A great club with great fans is getting a great manager”
That’s good enough for me , even though poor Andy Walker’s “underwhelmed”.
He thought it was more ambitious to go for an English football reject, with SACKED on his CV.
As for Henrik, if he had the managerial success of Deila we’d be hailing him as the new Stein.
The thing is, he hasn’t. Maybe he will in the future,but right now since he hasn’t, he’d have been a much bigger gamble.
Norway kills 700+ whales a year for so called research when all are sold to japan for food,breaking c.i.t.e.s. agreement,we should have nothing to with Norway or norweigians
Might be more productive posting on some Norwegian site …
I’m your big brother.
Shut your geggie.
Your boring.
deadhead67
Guess Ally avoided being caught up in that cull too.
H H
Dundee Untied? Their season is unravelling fast.
If we win the Champions League, *I* will strip in the middle of the Celtic Park pitch!
Then we’d get to find out?
What is it about our ex-players? First , poor Andy Walker’s “underwhelmed” by our new manager.
Now, Chris Sutton can’t quite put his finger on why this appointment is wrong, he just feels it is.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on why Chris would put his name to this anti- celtic crap that’s put in front of him; then I remembered reading about his financial plight.
Pity he’s having to sell away the respect and warmth the Celtic fans once had for him.
I see another world famous manager has put his tuppence worth in.
Fat Sallee said….” I shaw ra presh conferensh but ah coulnae undershtand him. Whit language wiszh rat he wiszh shpeakin?”
Err.. that would be English, pie man.
h
i’m excited but the bizarre-ness of the appointment is still sinking in.
good luck ronny, i can wait!
Love your service lads but even Terrence the Butcher has a better pedigree than this latest cheap nonentity from the sticks. No doubt he’ll spit-polish Peter Lawell’s brown shoes on command. Why aren’t you guys pushing to get rid of the entire Celtic board, starting with its preposterous controlling shareholder … a soccer ingenu from Erin who runs the club exactly as the Kellys and Whites of the past. The late Bobby Evans told my uncle: “We had to sit around the dressing room fretting to know who was starting and our manager Jimmy McGrory said he hadn’t been told yet by Kelly upstairs”. Maybe Celtic fans deserve all they get. They really are too nice.
Im worried that we are being seduced by the laptop/”intelligent” manager narrative. Just because someone is or isn’t intelligent or has a degree is not a reason to fate them as the new messiah.
Football is one of the last areas where people can be impressed in such a way. I really REALLY hope that Ronny is a success but I hope this is not a case of the emperor’s new clothes.
Oh and everyone banging on about a “moneyball” manager, the A’s have won nothing sinxe adopting it, another example of the deification of pseudo intelligence in sport, good film though
WELCOME TO CELTIC RONNY. We love ya already. Hail Hail
Matthaus or Maldini?
Ralph
Simples! We are all excited by the appointment – except the dead(heads). We have a new, fresh season to look forward to which might not have been the case had something spectacular not have happened in the transfer in market. The guy is making all the right noises, for me anyway, and I can only go by noises till he starts actually performing. Going by his track record (and what makes us think Norwegian football is so much poorer than Scotland’s current doldrums), Ronny has potential for something extraordinary. As for all the European nonsense, why should that determine his future position? The bloke will only have had time to put his track suit on. Are we going to judge him before he has even had the chance to make a mark. He even said himself he can at least carry on where Lennon left off for the moment in the hope that will see us to through the qualifiers and then he will look to develop his own methods. No, I am right behind the appointment. I think it is the most exhilarating event since Martin O’Neil – and remember how he used emotive words to convince us and we were prepared to give O’Neil 3 seasons before looking for outcomes. Take it from an old windbag whose gut feeling says we are on the brink of a new era. As for the media, leave them flailing in their biased time warp.
H H
C,mon give this guy a chance…
Alex Ferguson took a young team through discipline and hard work to a European cup winners final with Aberdeen.
I see the same qualities already with this Ronnie bhoy…
If he deploys attacking football in Europe or in the SPL we have a clear manager here .
I loved Neil Lennon but he played from midfield too much.
Time for the Celtic way…Attack with silky football.
Ronny Deila will be a hit and he’s a tough boy so let there be no doubt…anybody who can strip off in Norway even in the height of summer when it’s a balmy 2 degrees has to be a bit mental…or a Geordie in the Bigg Market.
As for whaling, that punter might have got his subscriptions mixed up…maybe he should’ve signed up to the World Wrestling Federation and not the Wildlife one..
Welcome to Paradise Ronny-bhoy.