CELTIC skipper Scott Brown has fired a stinging verbal volley at former Hoops striker Andy Walker.
The Sky TV pundit claimed Ronny Deila should be sacked following the 2-1 defeat against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Wednesday.
Brown, though, responded with all guns blazing as he defended his manager and took a swipe at Walker.
He said: “Whatever he says, nobody really takes heart of it, anyway, because all he does is criticise Celtic for being a former player.
“You don’t see other ex-pros doing that about their teams, so his opinions don’t really count.”
Meanwhile, Deila has maintained that the most important aspect for him now is to lead the team and weather the storm with a double still up for grabs.
He said: “Sometimes it can be right, but not all the time. If you do that too many times, it loses impact. It’s like my mother shouting at me all the time.
“In the end I just stop listening. It’s ‘yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say….’
“Leadership is about being calm, especially in this type of situation. I don’t want to lose my head and be angry, it doesn’t solve anything.
“You have to be respectful of people and talk honestly and I’ll continue to do that, but it’s hard to answer the same questions every three days when we talk about progress. I’m not a magician, I need a little more time.”
The Norwegian remains confident he has the support of chief executive, Peter Lawwell. The duo are in regular dialogue and while Deila was reluctant to reveal the details of their conversations, he stands firm in his belief that he has the backing of the board.
He added: “Peter is an important man. I talk with him a lot. I talk also with the people I have around me, my staff. Without people to reflect on things with, it’s hard to make any progress.
“Peter has lots of experience and provides safety for a manager. It’s so important that the board and everybody are working together.
“If there are going be conflicts then it’s harder to believe in what you are doing and stay on the right track. Everybody needs to feel trusted and loved.
“Every person needs that. That’s what the best organisations are doing right now.
“Peter is understanding of my situation all the time. He knows Celtic because he has been here so many years. He is very experienced and a very strong and intelligent man.
“We are honest with each other and that’s what’s important. That’s a positive.
“I also speak with Dermot Desmond often. He is an intelligent man as well and knows what business is about and how football works.
“We have conversations to understand what page we are on. How I am thinking, how he is thinking. That has been good all the time.”
