An aspiring foreign manager emboldened by radical ideas meets a settled, ego-fuelled dressing room that’s enjoyed no little success. Sound familiar? For Peter Lawwell, the warning signs upon appointing Ronny Deila to the Celtic manager’s post last summer were to be found not a million miles from home. When Paul le Guen arrived at Rangers in the summer of 2006, there seemed solid grounds for fans of the Ibrox club not to question if the Frenchman would be a runaway success, but to just what extent. Celtic manager Ronny Deila (left) and chief executive Peter Lawwell launch new kit deal at Celtic Park . Lawwell has dismissed comparison between Deila and former Rangers boss Paul le Guen (right) After a difficult start, Deila has started to turn things around at Parkhead . This was, after all, not only a coach who had brought three successive titles to the Ligue 1 club Lyon, but one who had made them a name to be feared across Europe. If le Guen could drop just a little of his je ne sais quoi into the Ibrox water, the sky would be the limit. So went the theory, anyway. Yet, by January 4 the following year, the Frenchman was already history — his departure a cautionary tale of too much, too soon, resistance to change and the importance of unstinting backing from the boardroom. Disastrous though le Guen’s short tenure was, to this day it’s only natural for the rump of the Rangers support to wonder what might have transpired had he been afforded more time. Fast-forward eight years to the start of this season and — on the other half of the city — parallels with the Frenchman were being drawn. Whilst Stromsgodset were much further down the football food-chain than Lyon, Deila still arrived with the pedigree of being a league winner as a manager. And, just as le Guen had faced resistance from a squad used to Alex McLeish’s methods for so long, much of the Norwegian’s methodology was bound to grate with a squad that had thrived under Neil Lennon. When domestic reverses began to intertwine with European capitulations, there seemed a danger that history might repeat itself. Lyon's former league winning manager Le Guen arrived at Ibrox with a big reputation in 2006 . The Frenchman left Rangers the following January after losing games and the dressing room . ‘When we set off with him, we knew we were going to give him time,’ Lawwell insisted. ‘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. Bang. The players revolted and he went out. ‘So we had to get over that le Guen hump if you like and manage through that. ‘You get the players on board and get everything settled down. He’s done that brilliantly.’ Notwithstanding Wednesday’s home defeat to St Johnstone, there is no disputing the fact that both the manager and his players are now in a much brighter place. Earlier this week, John Hartson eloquently described how he now looks at Celtic’ s early struggles under the Norwegian as almost being in a different season and few who witnessed them will find that difficult to relate to. But, asked if — in the dark moments of autumn — he privately harboured doubts about the man he championed, Lawwell was unambiguous. The Norwegian manager looks on during Celtic's 1-0 defeat to St Johnstone on Wednesday . Despite the defeat, the Hoops are six points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table . ‘We’re paid for these judgment calls and there was never any question of knee-jerk reactions to a bad result, or a bad couple of results,’ he insisted. ‘Genuinely, when Ronny came in, we understood where he was strong and where he was weak; he was weak in terms of experience. ‘Nothing prepares you for Celtic, as a manager or even a player coming here. We knew there would be a transitional 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 someone who creates Champions League players, and that is what he does. He is a developer of players and that takes time. ‘He is a highly intelligent guy; he is a progressive coach and, through time, it will prove that we were right. We feel we are making progress; we have won nothing, yet. But hopefully in the short and longer term, he will create a fantastic team for Celtic.’ The first opportunity for a tangible sign of that progress comes in the form of the League Cup Final with Dundee United at Hampden on Sunday week. In terms of a turning point for a season that at one point threatened to implode, Lawwell feels the injury-time win with 10 men at Pittodrie in early November — followed by the Ronny Roar at its most ferocious — was it. Deila trains with his players, with Lawwell insisting the former Stromsgodset boss 'creates' a team . Deila shares a laugh with Manchester City loanee John Guidetta (left) during a training session . ‘I think that was a change, yes,’ Lawwell reflected. ‘No question. That helped change the fans’ perception of him in terms of his emotion that day.’ Ultimately, Deila’s appointment was sanctioned by the board but it was the chief executive who first put his neck on the line for him. ‘My job is to recommend, and the board and Dermot (Desmond) backed that,’ he explained. ‘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. ‘We have a strong relationship. I have been here long enough. I have supported Celtic all my life. I know the west of Scotland, I know Glasgow and, hopefully, I know a bit about Scottish football. ‘So I think that was a help to him. No matter who it is, nothing prepares you for the intensity of this job. You guys (in the media) know the intensity of it, the scrutiny of it. He is a young guy, but he is a quick learner. With a tail wind and a bit of luck, he can be a great manager. ‘His personality 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 be in the right time and the right place.’ Deila will get his first chance for silverware when Celtic face Dundee United in the League Cup final . Lawwell has given Deila 8/10 for results and 10/10 for showing progress in his debut season . The destination of the season’s major prizes may yet be unknown but Lawwell isn’ t of a mind to hide Deila’s light under a bushel. Asked to rate his success to date in terms of a mark out of 10, Lawwell replied: ‘In terms of results, eight. In term of coming in and acclimatising and showing progress, 10. ‘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.’
Ex-Lyon boss Paul le Guen arrived at Rangers with big reputation in 2006 . Frenchman was sacked in January 2007 after a disastrous tenure at Ibrox . Celtic chief Peter Lawwell has dismissed similarities with Ronny Deila after Norwegian recovered from a difficult start .