The Ronny report: He ain't half done well

This game will take his side close to the midway point in the season, so it's a good time to consider the manager's half-term report card.

The first thing you have to say is that it reads a lot better than it would have done after the first month.

The back-to-back Champions League qualification and play-off disappointments left many people questioning Ronny's ability to succeed Neil Lennon.

A shaky start to the defence of the league title didn't help, either, as they lost to Inverness and Hamilton and drew with Dundee and Motherwell in the first couple of months.

Now Ronny has got the ship on a straighter course - though I am not yet saying it is headed entirely on the course I would like to see it follow.

After spending his playing and managing career exclusively in Norway, he has had to learn quickly what is not only required but demanded here.

I am not sure Ronny fully realised how big this job is.

When he came in talking about the philosophy he was bringing being based on performance and development, I did get nervous because, at Celtic, the main priority always has been and always will be that you have to win - games and trophies.

Besides, what is so different about the way he wants his side to play?

Jock Stein, Billy McNeill, me, and many other men lucky enough to have managed this club all insisted Celtic press, pass, play attractive football and entertain the supporters.

What we all also had in common is that we knew second best is never good enough for Celtic, and that we had to deliver every time we sent a team out.

The signs are there Ronny now gets all of this, and that looking down the line is fine, but you can never take your eye off today.

Perhaps we have seen a bit of relief showing through with the way Ronny has celebrated after recent wins at Pittodrie and Tynecastle, though I did feel there was an element of over-exuberance as no trophies were actually being won.

We all cared as managers. But I think it is better to leave that sort of display of emotion to the players, and a wave of acknowledgement to the fans for their support would be a more appropriate gesture from the manager.

On the plus side of his half-term report is the fact that Ronny's Celtic side is still well in four competitions.

That's an improvement on last season, when a poor result against Morton put Neil's team out of the League Cup.

But, to be honest, still being in the cups at this stage and sitting on top of the league is something which should be expected of any Celtic team.

Put it another way, it has taken Ronny's side to the end of November to get to top spot in the title race whereas last season Neil's team went all the way to mid-February before they lost in the league.

The bonus point comes from making it to the last 32 of the Europa League, which I consider to be a big achievement, given how the season started in Europe for them.

And another significant improvement is the fact Ronny now appears to have settled on what is his best team.

It's not quite set in stone, due to injuries to key players, but you can now have a fair crack at guessing who is going to start.

The ineligibility of John Guidetti for the Europa League has prevented real consistency being established, but that situation will end when they play their last group game against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia on Thursday.

The other difficult situation which Ronny has faced concerns Kris Commons and his role in the team. It has become clear Ronny prefers Stefan Johansen in that position, which has meant last season's top scorer has been left out on on many occasions.

That hasn't pleased all of the supporters. But, as with every other decision you make as a manager, so long as your team is winning, the criticism doesn't have a chance to grow.

You have to be strong-willed in the Celtic job, and I get the impression Ronny is now more comfortable doing it, though, again, positive results have a lot to do with that.

Six league wins on the bounce and European football beyond New Year puts credit in the bank of approval.

So, in summation, Ronny's report card now reads as: Has improved after a poor start, but must now push on.

If the Norwegian can do that in the second half of the season, I will be the first to celebrate with him.

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