The dream of following in the footsteps of Jock Stein and Martin O’Neill will motivate Ronny Deila at Hampden this afternoon.
Brought in from the hitherto little-known Norwegian club, Stromsgodset, last summer, the 39-year-old has been consistent in his acknowledgement of the size of the leap he made.
And as he looked ahead to the first Celtic-Rangers clash for three years, he admitted the sense of anticipation was greater than anything he has ever experienced in the past.
“In terms of attention, this would have to be the biggest game of my career so far,” he said. “We are talking about a semi-final here, so I have been involved in more important matches because I won the cup and the league in Norway.
“But because the opponent is Rangers, this is the biggest. Scottish football has a lot of history and this derby is special, something to be proud of. The fact you can see the game all over the world tells you that.
“A lot of countries will show it on television. They are talking about 100 million people seeing it.
“I know every time I watched football from Britain in Norway, I wanted to be part of it. But I also know a lot of people will make judgements for me as a manager, based on what happens in this game.
“So although my job here never really stops, and there are always challenges to be faced, this will be a huge game. That is okay. I want to make this one of the biggest days in my life.
“My target, my goal, my dream is to be up there with successful Celtic managers of the past. I want to put myself in the company of men like Jock Stein and Martin O’Neill.
“They were great winners (Stein led the Hoops to Trebles in 1967 and 1969, while O’Neill emulated the feat in his first season in 2001).
“And I love to win too, I’ve said that from my first day that’s why I’m here. When you take the step from Norway to see how far you can go, it’s all about winning. I never think about losing. I never lose a match before it’s over.
“My family hates that about me because I think I’ll win every game we’re going to play, no matter who we play.
“Of course, there will be more hurt and it’ll be more painful if we lose to Rangers. But it will be the best feeling in the world if we win.”
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