“It reminded me of the Celtic fans. It was an amazing level,” Ronny Deila | OneFootball

Ronny Deila has controversially said the atmosphere created by Maccabi Tel Aviv’s fanbase reminds him strongly of his time at Celtic…

Ronny Deila during the UEFA Europa League Group A match between Celtic FC and Molde FK at Celtic Park on November 5, 2015.

The Norwegian got off to a perfect start in Israel as his side secured a convincing 4-1 victory away to Hapoel Kiryat Shmona, with former Ibrox and Scotland striker Kenny Miller serving as his assistant.

After the match, Deila performed his familiar ‘Ronny Roar’ celebration in front of the travelling supporters and later admitted their passion brought memories of Celtic Park flooding back.

Speaking via Daily Record, Deila said: “It was just amazing. I want to say thank you to everyone who came here. It reminded me of the Celtic fans. It was an amazing level, just thank you to everyone. We are very happy to bring them the win. We have to try to keep improving.”

“I liked our energy and reactions in the game. There’s something to build on from this game. And the atmosphere reminded me of the away games with Celtic. The most important thing is to win titles. We’re behind in the table and chasing everyone.”

“We’ll fight until the end of the season to win the championship. It’s a good start. We need to take it step by step. I only arrived two days ago, I need to learn the players and build confidence. We need to keep moving forward.”

The move has sparked criticism of Deila in Norway following his decision to take up a role in Israel at a time when the Norwegian government has severed diplomatic relations with the country.

However, the former Hoops boss insisted that political issues were not his concern, stressing that his sole focus during his contract through to the end of the campaign is on football.

My colleague JustAnOrdinaryBhoy gave his thoughts on Deila joining Maccabi Tel-Aviv a few days ago.

Conor Spence

Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Click on image to order

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