RONNY DEILA doesn??t know the meaning of the word complacency.

RONNY DEILA doesn??t know the meaning of the word complacency. Literally. Celtic??s Norwegian manager speaks almost flawless English but this was a new one on him. ??What does it mean??? he politely enquired when asked whether his side??s blistering start against Motherwell on Saturday had perhaps led them to become complacent later in the game when they would contrive to miss chance after chance.

Explanation given and accepted, Deila quickly swatted away the idea that his players had lost some of their edge thinking the game already won. This was simply a day when chances came and went as a result of poor finishing ?? from John Guidetti in particular ?? and some excellent goalkeeping from Motherwell??s Dan Twardzik. Such profligacy almost proved costly when the home side finally carved out a decent opportunity of their own after spending most of the match under the cosh, only for substitute Lee Erwin to head wide when it looked easier to score. Putting themselves in that position irked Deila but he could not fault his players for either effort or attitude.

Celtic, though, found a way to win via Anthony Stokes?? early goal, something they have now done in their last nine domestic fixtures. There is a growing feeling that they have landed a manager who knows what he is doing, the sound of the travelling support on Saturday singing his name another sign that he is gradually winning over any remaining sceptics. His clenched-fists celebrations in front of the fans at full-time did seem a bit laboured but there is no doubt the bond between manager and support base is growing by the week.

Deila, though, is not resting on his laurels and a similar mindset is prevalent among his players. While most teams would happily celebrate a victory as a job done ?? regardless of how it was achieved ?? it was a different story in the away dressing room at Fir Park where instead of high fives and hugs there was finger-pointed and recriminations. Deila may not understand the word complacency but he will certainly know his players are not suffering from it.

??Even though we won the game we weren??t happy at the end,?? revealed goalkeeper Craig Gordon. ??We were disappointed we didn??t finish the game off.

??There??s a good atmosphere in the dressing room but there are guys who will have a go. Nothing over the top, it wasn??t a row or anything, but a good exchange of views. Virgil [van Dijk] had a few words and Stefan Johansen wasn??t happy we hadn??t finished the job off earlier. There were a few, but that is good. It goes right through the team. That??s what you want. It??s a good attitude to have.

??It??s good to see everyone has that hunger to win games more convincingly than that to give ourselves an easier ride. Everyone was a little disappointed but we cant be too harsh on ourselves. We have had a lot of games and the important thing was we got the three points.

??We have to make sure we take the positives from a good 1-0 win that could have been four or five on another day. Dan Twardzik had an unbelievable day - he stopped just about everything that came his way So we can chalk it down as one of those days when things didn??t go in but the performance was good enough to have won by a few more goals.??

Celtic are motoring along nicely in the SPFL Premiership just now, although there are one or two teams still on their tail. Inverness Caledonian Thistle are tucked in behind them in second, three points behind, with Dundee United a further point back in third. It is inconceivable that Celtic will not go on to win the title but the sight of a chasing pack in close proximity is enough to help keep them focused.

??We need to keep winning games,?? added Gordon. ??We??ve been doing that of late, whether it??s by a few goals or just grinding out 1-0 wins. It??s a good sign we can do both jobs and keep the points total ticking over.??

That is something Motherwell have been unable to do of late. This was an eighth defeat in their last nine games, with only the equally poor form of Ross County and St Mirren ?? who they meet in their next two games ?? keeping them out of the relegation places.

They remain a club in flux, without a permanent manager and with heightened speculation that a proposed takeover is not too far away. Some renewed stability behind the scenes should lead eventually to improvements on the park.

??I don??t know what??s happening with the manager situation but we all just want things to progress as soon as possible,?? said Erwin.

The substitute endured an eventful 11-minute cameo when he should have scored with a header, was booked for simulation in the Celtic penalty box, then missed another late chance. Motherwell by that point were a man down after Simon Ramsden was sent off for a reckless challenge on James Forrest.

??I just tried to get forward as much as possible when I got on, especially with us having just 10 men by that point,?? added Erwin. ??Sitting on the bench watching Celtic miss all those chances I began to think we could take something from the game. But it wasn??t to be.??