Transfer Windows Is Deila’s Big Test

Ronny Deila’s biggest test this month was never going to be out on the field, no matter how much pressures the club is under to get results.

Ronny’s biggest test was always going to come with how he reacted to the transfer window, and whether, in it, he gets what he needs to start rebuilding the club in his own image. We’re 15 days in … and we’re not further down the line.

Gary Mackay Steven looks set to sign some kind of an agreement, with Jim Spence from the BBC suggesting it’ll be a pre-contract one, as Celtic won’t pay the £250,000 that would see him in the Hoops sooner.

This seems, to me, to be ridiculous. If Mackay Steven scores the goal that knocks us out of the cup, or if he plays a starring role in games where we drop points and make this season harder than it has to be, where the Hell is the merit in not putting him in a Celtic shirt now?

Hell will be paid if this kid finishes the season at Utd and that comes back to haunt us.

Ronny has decisions to make. This would be one Hell of a time for him to stamp his authority on the club, by pushing through this deal and the others he’s undoubtedly identified. He would probably like to keep Commons and I cringe when I hear him say that he’s unaware of the progress of that deal … he sounds like McCoist used to, like a guy content just to be there and who leaves important matters concerning his planning up to other people instead of getting involved.

For all that, I like this guy a lot. I think he’ll do a fine job for us, but he needs to be backed right,

That backing depends on his being strong enough to impose his will on the club.

He’s gone on record as saying Virgil Van Dijk will not be sold either, but it hasn’t halted a tidal wave of speculation. Reports of interest in Dutch defenders and Libyan playmakers amounts to little more than talk right now, and there’s little information on the Guidetti deal beyond that we already know. As has become the norm, the club appears stuck in neutral.

There is a little over a fortnight left. Celtic’s tendancy to dither at this time of year is legendry, but we have one hell of a few months coming up, months that will make or break the guy in the manager’s office, and he has to fight for what he wants if he’s going to get what he needs.

Deila will know that, that it’s his head that’ll roll if results and performances don’t improve, that it’s his reputation that will suffer as a consequence. I trust that will sufficiently motivate him.

I hope it does.

More than anything else, this is a time when the fans need to see some signs of life.

Come on Ronny … get Gary signed. Get Kris tied down. Get Guidetti on the books on a long term deal.

Impose yourself. Make it clear who’s in charge.

Or risk everything on the same, bad hand.