IT comes with the territory when you are at a club the size of Celtic’s stature that there are people shouting for your head whenever there are poor results.

And the big question now for the Celtic hierarchy is whether they believe Ronny Deila is the right man to take them forward and get them back into the group stages of the Champions League.

The problem is that in the minds of many that is now utterly debatable after a season of poor results.

I think Peter Lawwell has spoken repeatedly about his faith in Deila and despite a week of adversity I have to say that I would be surprised if there was to be any kind of knee-jerk reaction from Celtic on the back of what has been a turbulent time for the club.

But, the bottom line is that the ultimate consideration has to be on whether the club are making the right moves to get themselves back into Champions League company.

I do think that people sending out the firing squad for you is one of the unpleasant aspects that goes hand-in-hand with the Celtic job when things are not going well.

It remains to be seen now whether or not they load the bullets.

I can understand the criticism and it is inevitable on the back of the kind of performances and results that we have seen this week. But the one thing I would say is that it is very easy to sit in a nice studio and fire out criticism.

Gary Neville is one of the best pundits going but his team just got thrashed 7-0 by Barcelona so what happened there?

It is easy to give out the flak when you are standing from afar.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but there is a level of scrutiny that comes with being the Celtic manager that you have to be able to respond to.

We all said that a decent and consistent run of form was necessary and I actually felt that going into this week, they had played some of their best football of the season.

But one of the repeated failings of this side is an inability to roll up the sleeves and show a bit of character in games once they go behind.

They started Sunday’s game against Ross County on fire and they started the game at Pittodrie well, but they seem unable to lift themselves once they are on the back foot.

Scott Brown and Kieran Tierney aside, there are not many characters in the side who seem willing and capable of showing a bit of hunger and determination when it is not all plain sailing.

To an extent that comes from the manager, but it is also about collective responsibility when you are a part of a team. You need players to have that within themselves too.

I thought the same after the games against Malmo and against Molde – that there was a lack of character about the team and at the end of the day it is the manager who takes it on the chin for that, although players need to be prepared to stand up as well.

Despite the gap in the title race being cut to just three points now, I still think Celtic have too much about them for Aberdeen and I still fully expect them to go on and win the title and the Scottish Cup.

In some respects, we all shout out for a league that is competitive and interesting and Wednesday night’s result certainly lends an edge to the campaign that wasn’t there.

It is up to Celtic to screw the head for the remaining 14 league games that are still to be played and make sure that they steady the ship for now.

There should be no issues against East Kilbride on Sunday but the problem is that what happened against Ross County at Hampden can happen to Celtic in any cup game.

The biggest issue for Deila now – and that is assuming that Celtic continue to stick by him, as I expect them to – is that where there were two people doubting his ability, now there are four; the lack of trust multiples every time there is an adverse result.

To me, it all goes back to the failure to qualify for the Champions League because it sets the foundations for the entire season.

But, ultimately, there is a decision to be made and it concerns whether or not Deila is the right man for the job as the club seek to move forward.

Glasgow Times:

Kazim-Richards and Griffiths could be dynamic duo

THE acquisitions made during the January transfer window look likely to strengthen Celtic.

Colin Kazim-Richards and Erik Sviatchenko have looked decent when they have come on, but it also raises the question once more of whether or not Deila will be prepared to deviate from his favoured one-up-front strategy.

I know we have gone over this before, but there are times when I think you have to show strength in more than one way.

You can be strong by admitting there is a different way of doing things.

I think by at least being prepared to give it a proper go — and by that I mean a run of three or four games where you go with two and see how it works — you at least take away one of the many criticisms being levelled at you all season.

Kazim-Richards looks, at first glance, to be the ideal foil for Leigh Griffiths. You cannot expect Griffiths to maintain his form all year, he needs a strike partner.

Nadir Ciftci went out on loan but a big part of his issue was there was no game time. We don’t know if it would have been any different if he had featured regularly, but if you are not playing then you are not going to be match fit.

There are two strikers there now and it seems logical to try the two together and give them the opportunity to establish some kind of partnership.

The Dane, Sviatchenko, also looked promising when we have seen him, especially given that he has just been thrown in.

It is unfortunate Jozo Simunovic picked up another injury, which has meant the two have not had a chance to strike up an early partnership together as that is the long-term intention.

Glasgow Times:

Bhoys need to show no mercy for East Kilbride in cup clash

NO disrespect to East Kilbride at all, but this is a game where Celtic should go out and run over the top of them.

The game comes on the back of what has been a difficult week, but it has to be a measured and strong performance against the Lowland League team.

For East Kilbride, this is their day. It is a massive game for them, the money the tie generates will give their club, which appears to well-run, a massive shot in the arm and you would eventually expect to see a club like that break into the lower leagues.

But from Celtic’s point of view it is all about delivering and getting back on track with a focused and solid display.

It has to be straightforward and efficient, and the only way for them to quiet the noise around the club now is to go out and win games.

As I said, it has reached the stage of Ronny Deila’s regime where there are plenty of people lining up to shoot him down, but all he can do now is get the head down and try to win fixtures, if he is given the time to do so.

Your question for Davie Hay

JAMES O’BRIEN from Coatbridge asked Davie: What was the toughest time you experienced as a manager?

I remember one season having lost a decent lead at the top and Rangers had caught us, we lost up at Dundee one day and I got a fair bit of abuse.

No-one likes it, of course you don’t, but you have to have the stomach to fight back.

It sometimes just comes down to whether or not those above you give you the required time to see the fight through.

If you have a question for Davie, just email him at daviehay@eveningtimes.co.uk and we'll print the answer alongside the question.