Former Aberdeen manager Alex Smith believes Celtic will be left to rue missing their opportunity to strengthen their grip on Scottish football under Ronny Deila.
The Hoops announced yesterday Deila will depart the club at the end of the season following a difficult two years in charge.
The Norwegian is closing on his second league championship and has one League Cup win to show from his spell in charge but Smith, president of the Scottish managers and coaches association, believes the manager’s poor European record led to Deila’s demise.
Smith said: “This news will not have come as a surprise to anyone, but I’m pleased to see the matter has been handled with professionalism and dignity.
“There are high standards expected of a Celtic manager and league championship wins are not where they are judged. Europe is so important to the club and there is no getting away from the fact they have under-performed.
“Three cup semi-final defeats in a row have also hurt him while many Celtic supporters have not enjoyed his side’s style of play.”
There will be few among the Celtic support sad to see their manager go but Smith believes there is one area where Deila will leave a lasting legacy.
Kieran Tierney has come through the ranks this season and made his Scotland debut last month against Denmark, but Smith is sad to see just one member of the youth academy force his way into the first team. He said: “What Deila can be proud of is bringing through a great young talent in Tierney, but he is the only one to come through the academy set-up and become an established first team regular. That is an area where Celtic have missed a great opportunity.
“With Rangers in the lower leagues they had a great chance to bring through their own young players in the last four years but it hasn’t happened.
“With Rangers coming up to the Premiership I expect we’ll see the club revert to buying in talent in the summer and it’s a shame so many players are still being cast aside when they hit 18 without getting the chance to show if they can make the grade in the first team.”
