By Matthew Elder

Copyright scotsman

Carlton Cole has made amends with former Celtic manager Ronny Deila after admitting he was not a fan of the Norwegian’s tactics during his time at Parkhead. Cole was a big-name free agent signing for Celtic when he joined the club in October 2015 on a two-year contract following his release from West Ham United at the end of the previous season. Capped seven times by England, the then 32-year-old arrived as a season striker who had scored 51 Premier League goals for various clubs including Aston Villa, Chelsea, Charlton Athletic and West Ham. His Parkhead career did not go according to plan, however, with injury restricting him to just five appearances and his only goal coming in a 3-0 Scottish Cup win over part-timers Stranraer. Cole was released from his Celtic contract early in the summer of 2016 following the departure of Deila and appointment of Brendan Rodgers. While admitting that his own fitness was not up scratch during his short-lived seventh-month spell in Glasgow, Cole also felt that Deila had failed to get the best out of him. “I went to Celtic after a holiday and wasn’t at my fittest,” he recalled. “I had a stop-start time there, and they wanted me to prove my fitness for a contract. As I was getting fit and about to join the team, my calf went, setting me back another month and a half, two months. “I hadn’t really been injured before, certainly never had a calf muscle tear, so it was disappointing. My debut was quite late that season. “I was determined to get back and eventually signed, albeit on a lesser contract, because I wanted to play for that club and prove I still had it. However, the manager, Ronny Deila, was asking me to run the channels, which I couldn’t do as a target man at that stage of my career. “I played only five games under him, and while he did get sacked that season even after we’d won the league, I wasn’t happy with what he was asking me to do. I wondered why he’d signed me if he didn’t know what kind of player I was. “Leigh Griffiths was on fire at the time, scoring at will. We played one game up front together in the cup and both scored, and I thought that partnership would continue, but it didn’t. “Despite this, I loved the people at Celtic. The playing staff were brilliant, and the backroom staff were unbelievable, making me feel very welcome. I had a good time there.” Cole, currently employed as loans and pathway manager at West Ham, met Deila, now the Atlanta United head coach, in March while promoting the Hammers’ participation in the recent Premier League Summer Series with the reunion providing an opportunity to bury the hatchet. “We had a good discussion about my time at Celtic,” Cole told Boyle Sports who offer the latest football odds. “It’s like meeting an ex-gaffer after your career; everything’s more settled, and you don’t have those bad vibes anymore. Although I felt he messed me up at the time, I’ve had time to move past that dislike. “When I spoke to him, he was good as gold, even asked me to dinner. You realise we all have different experiences, and you have to understand the extreme pressures at elite level. “People make weird decisions at wrong times and might treat you differently than they would in another job. “It’s similar to Alan Pardew. He might have been a certain way to his players when managing, but off the field, he’s a top fella. He once told one of my mates that when you’re making tough calls in the game, you sometimes don’t approach the player you’re letting down, and they have to deal with it. “But that player holds that thought against you forever. Sometimes I’ve done the same, but you later realise they didn’t mean it like that, it was just business. You get on with it because that’s how life goes in this sport – it’s nothing personal, just business.”