TOM BOYD has pleaded with Celtic fans to lay off manager Ronny Deila.

The former Parkhead captain has looked on in disbelief as the pressure has ramped up on the Norwegian, a target for severe criticism following the League Cup semi-final exit to Ross County and the SPFL Premiership defeat by Aberdeen.

Even in victory the boo boys have had a go, claiming that Sunday’s 2-0 win over minnows East Kilbride was not convincing enough.

But Boyd believes now is not the time for rash thinking and has called for a collective calm at the club saying it is a far cry from the days when he arrived at the club in the early 90s, a time when Celtic really were in crisis.

He asked: “Is sitting at the top of the league not good enough? I know there are fans who feel like that. But at this moment in time I feel it’s an over-reaction.

“You only have to go back to the days when I first came to this football club and we couldn’t even finish in second place.

‘We don’t have a divine right to win every game; to win every league.

“I would say to the fans to give their backing because we need it. When things are going wrong or awry, that’s when you really need the supporters to dig deep,” he said.

“Criticism doesn’t help out on the pitch. Players start to hide and don’t show for the ball.

“We need to join together to get this fifth league championship.”

Celtic sit level on points with Aberdeen at the top of the table with a game in hand but Boyd points out that Deila’s side were only three points better off at the same stage last season, albeit with one more game in hand.

“Not much has changed since this time last season in terms of points,” added Boyd, who was speaking on the day he was announced as a club ambassador joining fellow legends Davie Hay, also unveiled yesterday, and Billy McNeill in the role.

“Maybe defensively, Celtic haven’t been as good but there are a number of reasons for that. Last season, there was a settled defence with Virgil van Dijk and Jason Denayer. There was great cover at full-back, too.

“The stats back up that there hasn’t been much of a difference for Celtic. Have we dropped that much? Three points? That’s not much.

“At this stage of the season, it is much the same but there is this big clamour to sack the manager.”

He also gave credit to Derek McInnes’s side for upping their game and pointed to the recent victory at Pittodrie as evidence of the strides made since last season.

“Aberdeen have beaten us this year so there has been an improvement. They have the credentials and have done well,” he added.

“They had a magnificent start, they had a sticky spell and have now come back on an unbeaten run.

For Boyd, the positives brought about by Deila have been skewed by his problems in European competition but he points out that the 40-year-old is in good company.

“Celtic won’t qualify every year. It didn’t happen under Gordon Strachan and Martin O’Neill.

“The European results haven’t gone well but it’s been all right domestically. It would have been a Treble last year but for a horrendous refereeing decision.

“Playing Ross County with 10 men this year had a massive impact. But that isn’t taken into consideration by a lot of people.”