RONNY DEILA has insisted that he will not buckle under the pressure at Celtic – although he admitted his position would be untenable should Aberdeen win the title.

The Norwegian’s position has come under intense scrutiny this week after Celtic’s defeat to Ross County that ended their Treble aspirations, a result that was quickly followed by defeat to Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

Laid against a backdrop of European failure this season it has led to heavy speculation about his future at the club.

While there has been no indication from the Celtic hierarchy that they would be prepared to react to the results by replacing Deila, there have been calls for him to go from former players as well as supporters.

But Deila himself is adamant that he can weather the storm.

“The criticism can be hard to take but I think I am tough enough to take it,” he said. “I am mentally strong.

“I still love this job. It is a challenge that I enjoy, every day. I believe in myself and I believe in my team.”

He did, however, concede that if the unthinkable were to happen and Celtic lost the title to Aberdeen this season that he would walk away from the club.

His remit remains in trying to get the team into the UEFA Champions League, with an invitation to the qualifiers requiring a title victory.

And Deila was candid enough to accept that if there was any slip-up in terms of the Championship that he would be left with no option but to walk away.

Asked what would happen if Derek McInnes won the league, Deila said: “Then my future is over here. We have to win the league. That’s how it is and it’s just something you should expect from this team.

“I wouldn’t see any reason to continue then, you know. Then I haven’t done my job, of course.”

And the Hoops boss will call upon the dark days of his early managerial career at Stromsgodset when he lost six successive matches as he seeks to engineer a way out of Celtic’s present situation.

“I have been here many times,” he said. “I lost six games in a row. That was a hard time, in my first year as a coach. That was an important learning curve. The worst thing you can do is think you know everything. When you don’t trust anyone else then you get into big trouble.

“We are a team, we have to stay together, work and talk together. We need to put demands on each other but in a positive way. That is how you change results.”

And the Celtic boss maintained that that he believes he will deliver this season.

“The situation is good,” he maintained. “Everything is in our hands and we are in the Scottish Cup as well this weekend, so you need to see the positives.

“I really believe I am the right man for this club. Everything is in our own hands, we can win the league and that’s what we’re going to do and if we don’t then, of course, it’s a failure.”