Ronny Deila at Celtic: A Whimsical Analysis

I love the critically acclaimed Sam Mendes movie, American Beauty.

I remember having watched it for the first time back in my university days and struggling to get to sleep after it. Its heart stopping ending and phenomenal story telling and characterisation throughout left so much to mull over.

One character in the movie that I was most entranced by was the enigmatic Ricky Fitts - an unpopular high school kid who held a keen interest in photography.

Fitts worked as a part-time bar caterer, a fitting and noble front to help assure his authoritative father that the young Ricky is righting his wrongs and learning to become self-sufficient. But on the side Fitts runs a highly successful and profitable marijuana business that is helping fund his eventual runaway pursuits to New York.

When main protagonist and forty-something year old Lester Burnham meets Fitts at his home to score some weed, he becomes fascinated by Fitts’ lavish material possessions. How can this whimsy kid afford such a set-up, he ponders. Fitts coldly informs Burnham: “My dad thinks I paid for all this with catering jobs. Never underestimate the power of denial.”

Definition of denial: noun - the refusal of something requested or desired; refusal to acknowledge an unacceptable truth or emotion or to admit it into consciousness, used as a defence mechanism.

And in recent months, denial is a charge that seems to be routinely thrown at Celtic supporters who dare run to the defence of their players and management team.

Sure, absolutely, people have just cause to still feel a big degree of trepidation over the direction in which Celtic are headed, both on and off the park.

The last month or so especially has been quite calamitous for Celtic, being binned out of the Champions League at the play-off stage before losing a top of the table clash to nearest title challengers, Aberdeen.

But are there any positives to transfix ourselves on at Celtic just now? I’d argue yes.

There are many in fact.

And I think Ronny Deila shares my optimism (OK, he has to). In his post-match interview at the weekend – following Celtic’s 2-1 away win at Hamilton – he defiantly defended his players after the BT Sport reporter questioned him about Celtic’s well publicised defensive frailties.

“Why can’t you talk about the goals we scored?", he exclaimed. "You always take the negative. Our three games after Europe, we’ve [picked up] nine points.

"I’m very tired of talking about negative things. We played against Fenerbahce, they’re quite a good team with good players.  And we got a draw. Yes, there was individual mistakes, but we got a draw and we scored two goals.”

Deila was letting rip at the Scottish media for persistently undermining his Celtic players, but the 40 year old Norwegian could extend the same criticism to a section of his own supporters.

After all, he must feel somewhat perplexed as to what us fans want and expect of him. His management is being constantly questioned by a lot of our fans, and I do truly believe some fans have never forgiven him for his failings in last year's Champions League qualifying rounds.

The Champions League is what we obsess over and where every Celtic supporter wants to be. But gaining entry into the most prestigous competition in European football is a lottery to us now.

Financial inequality aside, we are expected to play six qualifying games at the height of our pre-season, all the while offloading players and introducing new faces to our side. Can we really give a manager an ultimatum, demanding that he reach the group stages of this competition every season or it's curtains?

I don't think we honestly can.

Even looking back to last season, and after a massively disappointing start to life at Celtic, Deila for the most part turned things around and built up a team of players that were both confident and effective.

Winning our 46^th title and claiming a League Cup (a trophy I’m not too accustomed to seeing us lift) meant a great deal to me.

And let’s face it: had it not been for the right hand of Josh Meekings, Deila could have had a real go at putting himself in the Celtic history books for being only our third domestic treble winning manager.

Oh, and while we’re clutching, see that right hand of Kari Arnasson? That went and robbed the man of the chance to see his Celtic side enter the Champions League group stages for the first time in two years – remember that when we’re all reminiscing over Deila’s time at Celtic down the pub in a few years.

But let’s not speculate, let’s look at the facts coldly.

Right now, we’re one point adrift of Aberdeen in the SPFL, and plying our trade in the Europa League group stages having accumulated two hard-earned points from two games against (assumed) superior outfits, Ajax and Fenerbahce.

But it's how we're playing that is pleasing me most. It's maybe not the most expansive football you'll ever see, but we're not even two months into the season and we're managing results well both domestically and in Europe.

I watched Celtic at home to Dundee two weeks ago. They absolutely capitulated the visitors 6-0. Celtic played with a real verve and tenacity that's prompted me to choose this one specific performance as being one of the best I’ve ever seen under Deila.

And in our goalless draw at home to Hearts, we were outdone by a team that had no interest at all in winning the game of football. We hit them and hit them and hit them until our boots went blunt. The chances were there, we just failed to capitalise before it was just too late.

I’m often seen arguing on Celtic message boards and with fellow fans on Twitter about Deila. And I got into quite a lengthy exchange with a guy the other day who was arguing that Deila hasn’t been influential at all in having developed the Leigh Griffiths that we see and enjoy today.

For him, he said, Griffiths always had it. And it was stupid and wrong of Deila to omit him from a starting place in the side one year ago when the manager first arrived from Stromsgodset.

But I disagree. Deila has shown himself to be an astute man manager.

Tony Watt was relieved of his duties at Celtic after Deila claimed that the Coatbridge boy didn’t want “to make the necessary sacrifices” that's required to be a success at Celtic Park.

And I presume Deila expected a lot more from Griffiths initially too. Yes, Griffiths was scoring goals for Celtic before Deila, but his actions and application off the pitch (y'know, the things we don't see) most probably concerned the manager.

Speaking in August 2014, Deila spoke of how he demands his players exude a tremendous level of commitment to their roles as Celtic players. He said: “It’s about commitment. If you say to yourself you are going to be a Celtic player you have to change. You have to commit, you have to make that sacrifice.

"If you don’t accept the consequences of your actions you will look back and say at the end of your career: 'I was a good footballer, but I was just a player at Celtic.' If you really listen, if you really do it, you can be a legend at Celtic.

"I was one of these guys. I wasn’t the greatest talent as a player, but I could have been much better than I was because I didn’t sacrifice everything.”

I’d argue that this particular facet of Deila’s coaching is beginning to bear fruit. Griffiths looks healthier for it. He seems more grounded, hungry and disciplined.

And Nir Bitton has clearly benefited from his stewardship. Bitton is now an integral part of our team and really fits into the system of how Deila wants us to play.

The Israeli midfielder looked destined to be a bit-part player under Lennon, who'd probably be more suited to a rotational place in the Celtic midfield. But since Deila has taken the helm, Bitton is playing with such poise and is arguably one of our most valuable players at present.

And who would have thought the man from Oz, Tom Rogic, would ever have claimed a stake into having a future with us?

One other player who seems to be enjoying life at the moment is James Forrest. I was always a big doubter and pained over why he was still allocated space at the club. But recently Jamesy has looked the real deal.

And he hasn’t played like the Forrest of old, and this is crucially why I believe he can go on to really cement a place in our starting eleven. His defensive work rate has rocketed, and his tracking back and covering for the full backs on the flank has been exemplary.

With a consistent run of games, James will continue to learn and develop. I always felt Forrest never truly had a natural football head. I didn’t think he had a cuteness or a tactical brain. I always brushed him off as that fast kid who got lucky. But I can just see him now, kicking on and playing an instrumental part in our club’s future success.

I really have invested in the Ronny Deila era, and maybe I am blinded to some other harsh reality that you all see. But this guy is striving to revolutionise the way we do business at Celtic Park.

It’s not denial or delusion. I just trust the man to get the best out of his players and do his best by the badge along the way.

I read quite an illuminating stat yesterday that said that our longest winless streak domestically in 2015 is still only one game. For all the alleged 'crises' we've had over the last year, it doesn't half help to look at these 'catastrophes' objectively.

Ronny hit out at the press on Sunday, bemoaning the fact that we can’t always play “Playstation football.”

And therein lies one of the biggest positives we’ve seen thus far. The ability to win ugly, to fight back in the face of adversity. It’s this lion spirit that will see us reach the halfway mark in our pursuit of ten-in-a-row.