‘A bit weird’ – What Ronny Deila did when at Celtic Adam Matthews says was strange

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Ronny Deila’s time at Celtic was a strange period in the club’s history.

With Rangers going out of business and re-starting in the lower leagues, the Celtic manager only had Aberdeen to beat in terms of the league title.

Arriving at Celtic as a highly-rated coach from Norway, Deila had already tasted league and cup success with Strømsgodset in his time as the manager.

So it is clear that the Norwegian coach knew what he was doing but his Celtic arrival in 2014 brought with it something that Adam Matthews describes as being ‘a bit weird’.

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Ronny Deila’s ‘different culture’ at Celtic bamboozled Adam Matthews

Matthews arrived at Celtic in 2011 and won four league titles, a Scottish Cup and a League Cup, with two of those trophies under Deila.

However, when the Norwegian took over from Neil Lennon, Deila brought something different to Celtic that Matthews didn’t quite understand.

Matthews told the Daily Record, “It was a different transition, a different culture. He was a very good coach, but his diet was a bit weird.

“I remember he used to say, eat a chunk of butter or cheese and cream for pre-match, which I don’t know if they do it in Scandinavian countries, but it’s not what we’re used to. So a lot of players weren’t happy with that.

“But he was a very good coach and he did well at Celtic. I enjoyed playing for him. It was just different to what I’m used to, being with Lennon for my first three seasons. It was a big change for everyone.”

Ronny Deila’s record at Celtic

Deila’s reign at Celtic helped deliver the silverware that kept the Hoops’ second nine-in-a-row dream alive.

Over his two years at Celtic, Deila delivered three domestic honours and was robbed of a treble in his first season in the Scottish Cup.

• Scottish Premiership: 2014–15, 2015–16
• Scottish League Cup: 2014–15

Here is Deila’s complete record as Celtic manager:

Whilst fans will remember Deila’s time at Celtic with mixed feelings, what cannot be denied is that the Norwegian’s time at the club was still significant in the club’s domination of Scottish football.