ONE victory in their last four matches has put a halt to the momentum which had been built up by Celtic.

It has also opened the way for Aberdeen and the rest of the chasing pack to head into 2015 believing that the transition being overseen by Ronny Deila could make the collection of a fourth consecutive championship much less of the procession it threatened to be when the Parkhead side finally hit the front at the start of this month.

The Norwegian's improving win rate has also suffered a setback as a consequence of recent results.

The goalless encounter with Ross County means the Hoops have now endured eight defeats and six draws in the 33 games played across five different competitions under Deila.

It is confirmation that, while they have come a long way since he replaced Neil Lennon in June, as a manager of Celtic and as a Celtic team, they still have a long way to go.

For the seven summer arrivals who have joined Deila in embracing all that makes the club what it is, lessons continue to be learned on a daily basis.

One of the main idiosyncrasies which can take a while to sink in is that one bad result is big news - whereas two can be portrayed as a crisis.

So, after losing to Dundee United then being held to a goalless draw at home by Ross County - allowing Aberdeen the opportunity to go top if they beat St Johnstone on Thursday afternoon - Deila is only too aware that, once again, inquisitive eyes are on him and his team to see if a storm is brewing.

The manager's response is characteristically considered: "We have to stay calm, of course. But also we have to deal with the disappointment and learn from that for the next game.

"We have to look over the video of the game against Ross County and find the things we have to do differently to turn it around for the match against Partick Thistle.

"We had the ball for 90 minutes, but we didn't manage to break them down. We had so much possession that we had to create more, and that's what is disappointing.

"We have opened up a lot of teams and created a lot of chances. But, in that game, we didn't do it."

THE contrast between these two stuttering, misfiring performances at Tannadice and against the Staggies, and what happened when Celtic confidently swept both aside the last time they met, could not be more extreme.

The 6-1 victory over United came in the middle of August, when the Hoops were still heavily engaged in trying to qualify for Champions League, their priority at that time.

The 5-0 pummelling of Ross County came in Dingwall off the back of an international break which had been preceded by a shock 1-0 home defeat to Hamilton, a result which left Celtic trailing in sixth place in the title race.

So the fact these two latest results have popped up after some semblance of stability and consistency had been established - they were chasing nine league wins in a row at Tannadice - makes them all the more unexpected and difficult to explain.

One theory is that, as the league reaches its halfway stage, opposition managers are learning Deila's ways and, consequently, how to spike the guns of the Hoops.

The man in the hot seat acknowledges there could be something in this.

"Always, when you have the ball a lot, teams will want to do different things," said Deila. "Now the pressure is on us to open them up.

"But, at the same time, they are pressing us in other areas. So sometimes it is about the learning process."

It has certainly been that for him and for his players, who have been given a rude awakening if they were being lulled into thinking the hard work has already been done this season after clambering to the top of the SPFL.

Certainly, the manager is ready and willing to think again, recognising that this campaign is an evolving entity, not a pre-set programme to succeed.

Deila is prepared to tweak the rigidity of his formation and system his players are asked to play.

He showed this at the weekend when Leigh Griffiths was added to the starting XI, to play alongside John Guidetti, while Anthony Stokes was also expected to play in an attacking role on the left - until an early calf injury to the Republic of Ireland international forced him off.

The offensive formation was designed to try and force a repeat of the early onslaught which fired Celtic into an

unassailable lead early in the game at Dingwall.

However, as the record book shows, the best-laid plan - like most of the shooting - went awry.

DEILA has had time to reflect. And, bearing in mind the players who were missing through injury and suspension - including natural wide men James Forrest, Wakaso Mubarak and Aleksandar

Tonev - he believes it was not the team selection which caused the coupon-busting result.

"We thought that was the best starting XI to play on the day," said the manager. "We knew they were going to be defensive, and that's why we needed more attacking players on the pitch.

"But the relations between the players and the quality was not good enough. The play was going too slowly. We needed more runs and more penetration.

"We had a lot of deliveries from the wide areas. But the timing between the runs and the crosses was not good enough."

The man whose timing was out most was Guidetti, so often the go-to player when goals have been hard to find this season.

Deila has a decision to make regarding the best route back to the goal trail for the Swede.

The cynics may suggest he takes his time, as a prolonged drought is unlikely to encourage suitors to come calling when the transfer window opens later this week.

However, Deila is clearly more concerned about getting his goal-den Bhoy firing again as quickly as possible, for the good of his team's wavering momentum.

The manager retains complete faith in Guidetti and said: "It's just small details that we're going to have to have to work on and turn around."

Quickly, if normal service - and progress - is to be resumed.