RONNY DEILA has gone from monotony to madness in one fell swoop.

And it is something he would not change for the world.

Six months ago, the Stromsgodset manager was going through the motions. A season after guiding the Norwegian minnows to their first league title for a generation, his appetite for the task in hand had waned from insatiable to indifferent.

Coaching in his home country had become tiresome for Deila. Six years at his current club while serving a two-year term, previously with Brodd, had drained much of the enthusiasm from his persona, a characteristic which was a key part in his rise as one of the most promising managers on the continent.

Then along came Celtic, and, well ... the rest is history.

"I am so happy I made this move because I was getting bored in the end at Stromsgodset," said Deila. "Everything that was coming, I knew it. I knew how things were to be done. Now I have to do it in another environment at a bigger club and it's been areally good time.

"It's also been hard, but when you have bad things and you come through them, then you have learned as a person and a lot of people in this world would like that. You also feel stronger.

"If I went back to Norway now, I would be a totally different person because I have had this experience. I'd know what I am talking about when I talk of training a team in Britain."

Deila was always aware that there would be a big difference from managing in the Norwegian Tippeligaen to being in charge of one of the largest clubs in the world.

But even the assured 39-year-old could not have envisaged the quantum leap which thrust him into the unforgiving world of management at Celtic.

After being a well-known name in a small-scale league, Deila was sitting at home watching himself on national television, reading pages upon pages of copy dedicated to the progress of him and his team, and being the focal point of tens of thousands of people on a Saturday afternoon.

"The passion for football has excited me most, not only at Celtic, but when we played Hearts in the Scottish Cup and when we met Dundee United last weekend. There was a good atmosphere at both games," he said.

"It's much better than it is in Norway. The people are really passionate about football. It also drives me a little crazy to see Sky Sports everywhere, it's also on the players' bus and is going all the time, football is going round and round.

"At home I want it, but here I don't want to watch the news now. When you are sitting eating and Sky Sports is on and football is on the radio, it's football all the time.

"It's a good thing, you know, but you have to switch off. It's something you can't do anything with."

Of course, Deila is not the first man to be plonked into the Old Firm goldfish bowl and told to sink or swim.

And he recognises the importance of seeking advice from those who have not only managed to stay afloat, but flourish. Gordon Strachan, to be exact.

The Scotland manager was in charge at Celtic from 2005 to 2009, and is well aware of the incredible demands heaped on the shoulders of whoever is in charge of bringing success to the east end of Glasgow.

It is a common link that Deila is determined to make the most of.

"Gordon and I had a dinner three weeks ago and it was very nice," the Parkhead manager revealed.

"As he said, there is no-one who can imagine what being Celtic manager is like unless you have been in the situation yourself.

"It is so good to talk to people with experience. That is also why it is important for young players to talk to experienced players.

"They can give you 90 per cent of things which tell you that you are doing the right things. Then there is the other 10 per cent, which you hadn't thought about.

"You think 'I should do that this way'. It gives you confidence that you are on the right track, but also puts new things into your mind."

He added: "To speak to people like Gordon with experience is so good for me. That is why I go around and seek knowledge.

"Gordon was really, really good to talk with. The best thing for me is that he is also very much into coaching. It's about what you do on the training pitch to get the level up, to get people well organised and in good shape.

"If you do your work 100 per cent there, you get the same in matches and that is a philosophy we share.

"Also, he told me to switch off. To put yourself away from the pressures and find something to do outside of football.

"It's about choices and decision-making."

It is advice Deila has taken to heart.

Being one of the most recognised men in Scottish football, it is difficult for the Norwegian to escape and attempt to gain some normality, even for a few moments.

However, he is starting to get into the swing of it.

"I've had some tennis lessons," explained the former defender. "I have to compete, I love to compete to win. I played a lot of squash, but now I have to do something I can improve in.

"I can't play football, I hate to play football now, I haven't kicked a ball since I stopped playing because it can only go one way. So it's much better to start something you can improve in and it's tennis."

Advantage Deila ...