RONNY Deila has been urged to put results before performances as he prepares Celtic for a Europa League match against Ajax on Thursday night which will have a huge bearing on whether he survives as manager.
Both Deila and his assistant John Collins have this season spoken of their desire for the Scottish champions to play “the Celtic way” - and produce an entertaining brand of football which supporters enjoy watching.
However, the Norwegian’s teams have often been exposed defensively in their outings in Europe and they have failed to qualify for the Champions League group stages for two seasons running.
The former Stromsgodset manager was heavily criticised following the successive defeats to Molde – the sixth-placed team in the Tippeligaen - in the Europa League.
Celtic can still make it through to the knockout rounds of the competition if they win their final two Group A games against Ajax at home and then Fenerbahce away.
But if they lose to their Dutch rivals this week then the pressure will intensify on Deila - despite the public backing he received from chief executive Peter Lawwell at the club AGM on Friday.
Pat Bonner, who irked the Celtic manager when he stated he would have to retain the Premiership, win a cup and progress in the Europa League to hold onto his job this season, believes he must make securing victories his priority.
“Celtic Football Club is about results and development and all the other things that go with it,” he said. “I’ve always said that you have got to try and get young players through a system. I would like to see more given the opportunity.
“But you have to get results. Under Neil Lennon, Martin O’Neill, Billy McNeill and all the managers I played under, we had to try and get results also.
“We were brought up winning. I came over here at 18 years old and had to learn how to win. That’s what Celtic Football Club was about. If played a reserve game and didn’t win, then woah! So you have to win games.”
Bonner added: “Tommy Burns’ teams played great football, but he didn’t win the league and left as a result. That happened to a few others along the way. You have to win games.
“You need to have two eyes. You have be looking into the future, but also trying to win games and every competition you go into. That has always been the way at Celtic.
“I think the fans, and everyone else, were a bit shocked by the two games against Molde. We expected them to win, or play well at least.
“Some people say they had lots of possession. Of course they had. But Molde set themselves up perfectly to play against Celtic and exploited it.
“Celtic had 73 per cent possession in the first 15 minutes - and were 2-0 down. It is about winning games.
“They only criticism I have is what I see on the pitch. It’s not against any manager, it’s what I see on the pitch. From what we saw that night, I think we were all a bit shocked at how open they were to the counter attack.”
Bonner defended his comments on Deila – which prompted the Celtic manager to have a dig back at the former Celtic and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper and how many titles he had won in the media
“It is nothing personal,” he said. “I would love to see Ronny Deila being the most successful manager in the history of this club and we are all looking to see if that can happen. There is no question about that. But you have to look at what happens on the pitch and if you say it that’s it.”
Bonner, who now works for BBC Scotland and Sky Sports as a media pundit, believes Celtic, who drew 2-2 with Ajax in the Amsterdam ArenA, have an excellent chance of getting a victory on Thursday night against an open team.
“They are quite a brittle team,” he said. “They play expansive football and they open up. In many ways, they play a similar game to Celtic. I don’t see them playing another way because it is in their DNA. They also have to win their last two games so that will make their mind up. I’ve never really seen Ajax come to defend.
“At times, because they are young and inexperienced, their nerve goes a little bit. That can happen with young teams and I think it was evident out in Amsterdam. I think Celtic are capable of winning this game because, apart from Saturday, their strength has been going forward and scoring goals.”
Pat Bonner was speaking as he presented the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden with a framed 10-inch disc recording of “The Laddie Frae Cardenden” by the late Scottish entertainer Glen Daly.
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