THERE was a touch of irony about Peter Lawwell being asked to offer up eulogies of Ronny Deila the day after a home defeat to St Johnstone.

But it also was a further sign of the Norwegian's progress as Celtic manager that the loss passed almost without comment. It seems the days of every setback being forensically examined to ascertain whether he is the right man for the job are now in the past. After a difficult few early months, Deila has becoming an established and accepted presence at Celtic Park.

Lawwell can now look back on the surprise appointment of a young foreign head coach with a degree of satisfaction and pride. Any new Celtic manager is chosen by committee but as chief executive had Deila failed the blame would have fallen largely on his shoulders. Roy Keane, Steve Clarke, Owen Coyle and Malky Mackay were some of the more experienced figures in the frame at one point or other to succeed Neil Lennon last summer and Lawwell would have had a job explaining why he had chosen to go down a more left-field, riskier route had Deila failed to deliver. With the Norwegian on the brink of clinching a treble in his maiden campaign, these are questions the chief executive won't be answering any time soon.

"Our judgement was to take the risk at the time," said Lawwell as he revealed a new "multi-million pound" kit deal with New Balance. "He is a highly intelligent guy, he is a progressive coach which is exactly what we need, and through time it will prove that we were right. My job is to recommend, and the board and Dermot [Desmond, Celtic's major shareholder] backed that. It is the same with any manager. You get paid to make judgment calls. Some are right, some are wrong. This was the big one. It is the normal pressure for the job I am in. You put your judgment on the line. No matter what manager came in, it is your judgment."

Privately, Lawwell must have had doubts in the early months. Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by Legia Warsaw, reinstated due to an administrative error by the Poles, and promptly knocked out again by Maribor. There were league defeats to Hamilton Academical and Inverness Caledonian Thistle as well. The jury was out on Deila but Lawwell revealed that wasn't unexpected as the club opted for a long-term view.

"When Ronny came in we understood where he was strong and where he was weak; he was weak in terms of experience," he added. "Nothing prepares you for Celtic, as a manager or even a player coming here. We knew there would be a transition period. We knew it would be a baptism of fire. The Champions League was right on us. There was a risk.

"But when we appointed him, we assessed that risk, and felt for the long-term good of the club it was the right thing to do. Ronny is a creator. He will create a team, he will create players. We can't afford or can get into the market for Champions League players so we need to someone who creates Champions League players, and that is what he does. He is a developer of players and that takes time. We knew what we were getting."

Lawwell saw an obvious parallel. Paul Le Guen was trumpeted as a real coup when he was appointed as Rangers manager in 2006, with a history of success at Olympique Lyonnais and a whole host of innovative ideas. He could not secure the support of the dressing room, however, and ultimately paid the price, losing his job following a high-profile power struggle with captain Barry Ferguson. Deila could have suffered a similar fate.

"When we set off with Ronny, we knew we were going to give him time," added Lawwell. "If you go back to Le Guen - I always say to Ronny about the "Le Guen hump". When he came in, he'd won three-in-a-row in France, had new ideas a new philosophy and a new culture. It didn't work. It was revolution rather than evolution. The players revolted and he went out. So we had to get over that Le Guen hump if you like and managed through that. You get the players on board and get everything settled down. He's done that brilliantly."

Lawwell sees Deila growing more into the role every day, gaining confidence and feeling more comfortable in his surrounds. "He is a learner. He is progressive. He is modern. He has a personality that is beginning to come out. He is a leader. He has all the attributes and qualities to be a great manager. All you need is a bit of luck and to be in the right place at the right time. As soon as the other directors met him, they knew he was the right guy.

"He has become more relaxed, more confident. Results bring that. He is fitting in to the environment here and outside, which again is a big change for him. The players are buying into him. The players are with him, you can see that with the team. That is giving him the confidence to push on.

"No matter who it is nothing prepares you for the intensity of this job. And he is a young guy. But he is a quick learner. And I believe that with a tailwind and a bit of luck he can be a great manager."