Deila determined to deliver Champions League football
Ronny Deila is confident he will bring Champions League football back to Celtic.
The Hoops were knocked out of the play-offs this week by Swedish side Malmo after suffering a 4-3 aggregate loss.
Deila passed up two chances of reaching the group stages a year ago, shortly after taking over from Neil Lennon, but is under much more scrutiny following Tuesday's costly 2-0 second-leg defeat at the Swedbank station.
The Scottish champions dropped into the Europa League where they were drawn in the same "good group " as Ajax, Fenerbahce and Molde, but Deila believes the Parkhead club will return to the premier competition while he is in charge.
Ahead of the visit of St Johnstone in the Ladbrokes Premiership on Saturday, when asked if his time as Hoops boss could be described as a success if he never made it to the Champions League, he replied: "That's a hypothetical question.
"I think we are going to be in the Champions League while I am the manager.
"We are closer. Hopefully we get another chance next year by winning the league and then we will see.
"There has been a lot of progress in our team.
"The results have been much better this season but this has been a big setback for me, the whole club and for the players.
"But you can't feel sorry for yourselves, you have to get up again.
"Tomorrow is another match and I am looking forward to it much more than I did last year because I know we are on our way to doing something."
The former Stromsgodset boss, however, insists results are not the only criteria by which he should be judged, claiming that there is a wider remit at Celtic.
"I don't think smart people judge only on results," he said.
"People who succeed in life judge progress in many ways.
"This club is one of the best driven clubs in the world.
"The economy (finances) is fantastic and there are so many people doing so many good things.
"We are developing players from seven years old to grown up, we are taking in young players and selling them for a lot of money and we win so many titles in Scotland.
"So if you want to be negative, you can but for me it is much more than one thing."
While a sense of anti-climax is sure to engulf Celtic Park on Saturday, Deila insists there is plenty to play for this season.
He said: "You can't say that the season is gone. We have been going for one month and hadn't lost a game before this game.
"We are very disappointed because it (Champions League) was a big target but there is so much to go for."
Mikael Lustig is almost certainly out on Saturday. The Sweden right-back is still struggling with a hamstring injury.
Defender Virgil van Dijk and winger James Forrest sat out training but should be okay while striker Nadir Ciftci serves the last of his six-game domestic ban.
St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright believes his side have nothing to fear ahead of trip to Celtic Park.
The Perth side earned their first league win of the season at the fifth attempt last weekend as they beat Motherwell 2-1 at McDiarmid Park.
And Saints face a Celtic side who are still coming to terms with being dumped out of the Champions League.
While Wright will not read too much into that disappointment for the Scottish champions, he has faith in the ability of his own side, who won 1-0 on their last visit to Parkhead in March.
Wright said: "It was good to get the win last week irrespective of who we were playing against in our next game.
"That win gives us a good bit of confidence going there. And we go there with nothing to fear really.
"We have proved in the past that we can get results there and compete against them.
"We do know that everyone has to play well. You can't have four or five off it. Everyone has to play well and pass the ball well.
"When we won 1-0 last year the possession was pretty even which doesn't happen for us too many times against Celtic."
Wright has no fresh injury concerns. Defender Steven Anderson remains out with an eye socket injury and should be back after international week.
Right-back Darnell Fisher, signed on loan from Celtic, will not play against his parent club.
Source: PAR
