RONNY DEILA’S comments given to a newspaper in his homeland about finding the culture somewhat different in Scotland than it is in Norway are, I think, a little wide of the mark.

Having managed in Norway myself, I would say that what Ronny has experienced isn’t the shock of leaving one culture for another, but rather the difference in intensity that comes with presiding over a small team with limited expectations to taking the helm at a club with a significant pedigree and an enormous amount of expectation.

Winning a title with Stromsgodset is one thing; managing Celtic is an entirely different prospect.

Ronny is not the first nor the last person to manage or play at Celtic who feels he is living in a goldfish bowl. The only thing I can say to that is that you either do it, or you don’t. It is simply a part and parcel of the job description.

In my experience, Norwegians love their football and the culture was very similar to what we have in Scotland – just that everything was a bit colder!

But one of the main differences is that people do not live for football the way they do here in Glasgow.

People could move away from football and get on with their lives, whereas in Scotland football can feel like it is everything. You don’t get that level of intensity in Norway and that will, I imagine, have been something of a culture shock to Ronny.

But what I would say is that there is a much greater feeling of success if you can win things and be part of a winning team at Celtic. There is always a sense of fulfilment in football, wherever you are or who you are with, if your team are winning games.

But there is far greater sense of achievement, I think, to winning the league or doing well in the Champions League with Celtic, than there is from guiding Stromsgodset to a title.

What you appreciate when you are at Celtic and things are going well is that you get a superb response from the people who support the team. That intensity that comes with the day-to-day role makes winning all the more satisfying.

Ronny also spoke of the way the failure to reach the Uefa Champions League group stages this summer impacted on the atmosphere around the club.

There is no question there was a deep malaise in the aftermath of those results, intensified by the club’s failure to make any significant impact on the Europa League.

There will always be heavy criticism towards any Celtic manager in that position because the appetite for success is so great.

The only way to quieten critics is to send a team out to win games, be consistent and win well. In recent weeks you would have to say that Celtic have done that.

From the stuttering Christmas period performances against Motherwell and Partick Thistle, they have kicked on with professional and strong displays against Stranraer, Dundee United and Hamilton.

Of course, the level of opposition has to be taken into account but the bottom line is if you go out and score goals the way Celtic have been banging them in, people go away happy.

They don’t grumble about playing only one striker up front or complaining about the defensive shortcomings. Strong displays quell any negativity.

And right now the best way for Ronny to keep that criticism at bay is to start focusing on the Treble in earnest.

The next few weeks will be critical in that respect with games against Aberdeen in the league up at Pittodrie as well as the League Cup semi-final against Ross County at Hampden and then the Scottish Cup tie against East Kilbride.

That Treble remains doable. It is not an easy thing to do – that is why it is a rare achievement – but so long as there is a chance to get it then you have to give it your full attention.

And I would fully expect Stefan Johansen to be a part of the push for the Treble. The Norwegian has been linked with a £5m move to Aston Villa.

Yes, every player has their price and given that midfield is one of the strongest areas of the squad with an abundance of players who can go in there, a move could suit both parties.

However, Villa’s position is precarious. And I just wonder whether Johansen would fancy dropping down into the Championship, which is a real possibility for the Midlands club. Which is why, for now, I suspect he would opt to stay put even if there is interest from Villa.

Glasgow Times:

Erik is ready to slot straight into side

THE arrival of Danish defender Erik Sviatchenko from FC Midtjylland on a four-and-a-half-year deal is exactly the kind of signing that Celtic will expect to aid them in their quest to land Champions League football next season.

Sviatchenko is a guy who is highly-rated in his homeland, but has also had experience of playing at a higher level – Midtjylland have had a decent Europa League this season – which means he can go straight into the team at Celtic.

He is not a player who has been signed with one eye on the future, but rather a player who can immediately make a difference and establish himself in the first XI.

I wonder now if he will get the chance to try and work on a partnership with Jozo Simunovic, with the latter months of this campaign giving him the chance to firmly bed himself into the first XI before those critical early games of the summer which effectively set the tone for the whole season.

Craig Gordon, too, would benefit enormously from having a settled pair of strong central defenders in front of him. It is no coincidence that he was so consistent when playing behind Virgil van Dijk and Jason Denayer.

Sviatchenko’s arrival also lends weight to the theory that it will be Ronny Deila who will be in the manager’s chair when the qualifying games come around.

Barring a disaster in either of the two cups or the league – which I really can’t see – then you would have to think that it will be the Norwegian who gets a third shot at taking the club into the elite company of the Champions League.

Glasgow Times:

Leigh’s soaring high now he’s found his wings

LEIGH GRIFFITHS is on his way to clocking up some seriously impressive stats at Celtic – perhaps all the more so when consideration is given to the fact that his career took some time to get off the ground at the club.

The striker is bang on form with 27 goals to date so far this season. I actually came across Leigh at the very beginning of his career when he was at Livingston in 2009. I had been drafted in to oversee a couple of games after Paul Hegarty had left the club.

He played twice for us and if my memory is correct we drew both games. But I said then that he was a raw talent.

I actually had a phone conversation with someone – who shall remain nameless – in which I recommended Griffiths to him but nothing materialised.

But even then you could see that he had something about him. He had a reputation as being something of a rogue but I would have to say that in the brief dealings I had with him, I felt that he was a decent lad.

He has certainly matured, though, both on and off the park. In his teens I think there was a suspicion that no-one really quite knew where he was best deployed, but he has truly grown into that lone striker’s role and his goal tally is quite remarkable.

Certainly, no-one would ever have put him up there in the same bracket as some of the greats who have hit 100 goals for Celtic only 18 months ago or so and yet now he is well on his way to joining them.

So much of that has been down to hard work and knuckling down when required.

Your question for Davie Hay

JAMES BURNS from Glasgow asked Davie: Has Leicester’s bubble burst?

Leicester lost to Spurs in the FA Cup this week but like most people I have been pleasantly surprised at the way they have gone about their business this season. I don’t think you can underestimate what having a goalscorer like Jamie Vardy does for you.

The striker has been excellent and while it comes down to a lot of hard work too, it is so important at that level to have a player who can put the ball in the net. League wise we have all expected them to wane and it will be interesting to see how they fare in the latter half of the season.

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