SCOTT BROWN believes Ronny Deila has the personality to follow in the footsteps of the Parkhead club's iconic bosses.

 

The Hoops can take a giant step towards a domestic Treble if they overcome Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the semi-final of the William Hill Scottish Cup at Hampden tomorrow lunchtime.

While skipper Brown was far more reticent than his manager to talk about the possibility of a clean domestic sweep - the League Cup is already in the Parkhead trophy cabinet and they are eight points in front of Aberdeen with just six games remaining in the SPFL Premiership - the Celtic captain has seen enough of the Norwegian to declare Deila has proved he has what it takes to handle the heat at the club.

"Neil Lennon was a big personality and a legend," said Brown. "You need people like that. You can't come into this job being shy or intimidated.

"You have to have your own philosophy and the manager has that. I have a different relationship with him than I did with Neil. They are different personalities and you get to know them better over time.

"It's as good as the relationship I had with Lenny."

It is a significant revelation from the skipper, who is understood to have acted as something of a mediator in the early days of Deila's regime.

The widespread changes the Norwegian initially imposed on and off the park were believed to have irked the senior players at the club, and Brown was instrumental in helping create a more harmonious soundtrack in the dressing room.

Deila appears to have won over both the dressing room and the support since then, and if he is successful at landing at Treble, he will be only the third Celtic manager after Jock Stein and Martin O'Neill to achieve such a feat.

The 1-0 win against Aberdeen at Pittodrie earlier in the season was where the 'Ronny Roar', was born and Brown admitted that he watches the celebration after every match with a smile on his face.

"I laugh at him and enjoy it every time he goes up," smiled Brown. "You hear the crowd getting going and then you see the wee smile coming over his face and his left hand coming through!

"It's good how he bonds so well with the fans. They have taken a liking to him. He is a nice man and a good man, and a good manager as well.

"It would be huge for him to win the Treble, but we need to get through a semi-final first. We are all focusing on that because it is a big game for this club and for the manager as well."

And Brown is adamant that, as a group, the Celtic dressing room were always prepared to give Deila time to make an impression.

"If you ask most lads in that dressing room, there weren't a lot of doubters. We were positive about what the gaffer was doing, on and off the field."