“Ultimately, Celtic managers are judged on their results and history shows they weren’t good enough under Tony.
“However, Tony being sacked had nothing to do with the football philosophy.
“In the dressing room, he had to speak clearly and sometimes shout his instructions two or three times to players who were making mistakes to tell them what was wrong.
“I felt he needed to be clearer in his instructions. Sometimes it is up to the players to take responsibility for the mistakes they make on the park.
“The bottom line is you have to get good results at Celtic. If you are not achieving that, then you have to change something.
“Five years ago, Celtic were not getting the required results under Tony and that is why the club got rid of him.”
Under Deila, the Hoops have not won in five European matches and their winless streak in the Europa League stretches to nine outings. In 24 games in charge against continental competition, they have leaked an alarming 37 goals.
The Norwegian has come up short in two attempts at Champions League qualification and it’s a damning overall record that has Deila under pressure from the fans – but Hinkel is urging patience.
He said: “I have seen Celtic’s results under Deila and the club continue to dominate domestically.
“However, European football is vastly different to the Scottish game.
“If you are stronger than your opponent –which Celtic usually are in the Scottish Premiership – then you can base a lot of your style of play on that.
“By all means, have a football philosophy and pick the players who you think can fit that style and implement it. However, doing something like that can take time.
“We all know that time in football is something you do not get much of.
“Some managers like to implement change slowly and do it step by step in order to gain results.
“It is about striking the right balance and the future of football is flexibility and being able to adapt to changing circumstances.
“Every manager needs to have a plan in order to cope with the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition.”
Deila has been criticised for opting to play with just one striker and Hinkel admits he has been surprised by the shift in emphasis in modern football.
He added: “Sometimes we can over-analyse the game. We do not always have to invent something new in football.”
