MOST managers get some time to put their own imprint on a football club – you don’t get that at Celtic.

Take it from a man who knows better than most, no matter who you are, an ex-player or a leftfield Norwegian appointment, that massive job is a work in constant motion.

You get time, just not a lot of it. You are judged from day one. Who cares if that’s fair not?

Any manager would like a bit of breathing room to get over his philosophy, something that does not happen overnight, and at most clubs that happens.

Celtic are not most clubs.

So Deila has had to learn on the job and when you look back a year ago to when he first walked into Celtic Park, is it any real wonder that he made such a slow start?

We are 12 months down the line from those trying days and perhaps for the first time he can say that this Celtic team is his team.

I think the supporters got a taste of what is to come during the friendly against Den Bosch, although you should never get carried away over such matches.

The players worked hard, moved the ball quickly, pressed the opposition and never stood still.

Saidy Janko fitted in well with the other players in what was an extremely young Celtic side. That’s what Deila wants. I wouldn’t rule out him signing a 28-year-old, but it would be just the one.

He is shedding some players as well, guys like Adam Matthews, who he inherited from the Neil Lennon era.

There are still a few left over from before his time, of course, but they are all playing a slightly different way, with more energy and purpose.

One or two more will be added. They need another striker, but since the arrivals of Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven back in January, you could see the direction the manager was going in.

Celtic are going to be fit, fast and I hope fantastic to watch – and I expect them to make the Champions League group stage.

That is really what this season is all about. If they don’t get there then fine, they will move on and there would still be a Treble and perhaps the Europa League to think about.

But if there are doubters out there about Deila – and I believe there are some among the Celtic support – then he has to get through these qualifying rounds with HIS team.

Do that and he will have proved himself to all.

Deila was at a bigger disadvantage to many of those who had come before him in that he wasn’t just trying to get to know the players – it was the club, the city, the country and planet Celtic.

However, he gives the impression lately of a man who now feels at ease in his job and knows exactly what he wants from his team.

The FC Stjarnan match is not far away now and he is better equipped to negotiate Celtic through the three ties to the promised land, if you like.

I am well aware how important it is for the club in terms of finance – although I remain doubtful over whether Deila would get much more to spend – but it’s the prestige which Europe brings.

The lift of getting back into the group stage for the club would be huge. The bottom line is that this is the arena where all Celtic managers are judged. I believe he is in good shape to get through these three ties.

The players have bought into what he’s on about and, in fact, he has said more than once over the last few weeks that the team now get what he and his coaching staff are looking for.

And I also see chips are back on the menu at Lennoxtown. Deila must have given into the players, but I never really saw what all the fuss was about.

Of course, chips with every meal is not going to do anyone much good, never mind a footballer, but there is nothing wrong with a few fries in moderation.

Same goes for tomato sauce, which for a while was viewed as the worst thing in the world.

Look, it is only right that players look after themselves and, of course, things were a lot different in my day. We still ate sensibly, it was just another time with other ideas.

At Celtic, we would eat fillet steak before every game. Today, nutritionists say that such a meal takes too long to digest.

Though it’s worth pointing out that is what the Lisbon Lions ate before every meal...and it hardly did them any harm.

 

Academy kids can graduate under Ronny

ONE thing I would like to see this season is more kids being given their chance in the first-team.

But only if they are good enough and Ronny Deila said as much last week when he stated that any player had to earn the right to wear the jersey.

That was good to hear.

Nobody wins if the manager gave one of his youth players a game simply for the sake of it.

This is a big thing for me because it is clear that the development squad are much better than all the other teams in Scotland and beyond.

They have beaten teams from England and Europe, so there is clearly a lot of talent at the club.

This is encouraging. They play good football as well at that level, however, they need to be tested in the Scottish Premiership.

Deila will not be scared to give the kids a chance if they prove to him they are up to it.

It is getting more difficult for anyone, not matter how good, to come through the academy at a big club and make it.

For me, this is a priority for Celtic this season.

It was good to see so many of them getting stripped at the Den Bosch match and while most won't make it, that's just the way of things, but the fact Deila has got so many of them training with the first-team says much to me about the standard.

Celtic have always produced their own players and it's something the supporters like to see.

There are a lot of good, young players at the club who are desperate to show what they can do. Let's hope they get that opportunity in the not too distant future.

 

Money may not be the cheques factor in McGeady homecoming

THEY say never go back. In football, no player is supposed to return to a club because it apparently never works.

But the example I always give as a counter argument to this is Bertie Auld who returned to Celtic after playing at Birmingham City.

He then formed the club’s greatest ever midfield partnership with Bobby Murdoch, so that worked out okay.

There is talk about Aiden McGeady coming back to Celtic after five years in Russia and England, his time at Everton apparently coming to an end.

The big question for me is whether Aiden would fancy it. There is absolutely no doubt he would be a huge success.

I always admired him as a player. Aiden is a rare talent who excited the supporters whenever he we was on the ball.

Ronny Deila isn’t a fan of signing anyone who is 29, however, I am sure he would make an exception in this case.

If Celtic are to progress in the Champions League then I am sure the manager would find space for such an experienced campaigner.

Wages will be a problem. I have no idea what they pay at Everton, but it will be more than the highest earners take in at Parkhead.

What I would say is that Aiden will have made his fortune at Spartak Moscow and at Everton, so perhaps money won’t be a big factor.

Maybe he will see this as an unexpected opportunity to finish his career at the club he supports. I would not kick this into touch quite yet.

If it were to happen, the supporters would be delighted because they know what this guy can do when he is on form.

Aiden would be given a hero’s welcome in the East End of Glasgow. It would be interesting to know what he is thinking right now.

 

Your question for Davie Hay

STEPHEN O’KEANE from Glasgow asks: “Given Celtic play Dukla Prague today, what are your memories of THAT semi-final in 1967.

Davie says: “I was at the first leg at Celtic Park when Willie Wallace scored a few goals and we won 3-1.

“At that time, I was on the books at Celtic so there was huge excitement surrounding the club.

“The second leg was the only time big Jock went out to be defensive and as usual he got it absolutely right.”

If you have a question for Davie, email him on daviehay@eveningtimes.co.uk