The Celtic culture shock that stares back at you from the walls of Parkhead - Stefan Johansen Big Interview

The Norwegian midfielder arrived in Glasgow's east end under then-Hoops boss Neil Lennon as a 23-year-old title-winner with Stromsgodset in January 2014.

He readily admits that it was a huge footballing culture shock for him when he learned that winning was everything at Celtic. Failure, he realised, was not an option. Success had to be delivered on demand.

Johansen reckons that his Parkhead education prepared him properly on how to be a footballer.

“It was my first move abroad,” he told The Celtic Way. “My family and I loved life in Glasgow.

“I always knew that Celtic were a big club. I came from winning the title in Norway but when I arrived I was told on day one that we were expected to deliver the title and that was all new to me.

“I learned a lot as a player and a human being just playing for Celtic. I learned how to deal with pressure and playing for the club was a steep but great learning curve and I learned valuable lessons that I took throughout my career.

"I have always been the competitive type and in every job and in every career you want to be successful at what you do but I developed that winning mentality – Celtic instilled that in me and in my game.

“The club has that sown into its very fabric. You feel that aura surrounding Celtic as a football club from the moment you walk through the doors. Tradition and history just stare back at you from the walls.”

A man-of-the-match performance in his first outing against St Mirren got Johansen off and running.

Celtic stormed to the title as he became a mainstay in the side and made 16 appearances before the end of the campaign. He even banged in goals during routs over the Buddies and Partick Thistle for good measure.

It got even better in season 2014-15 when Lennon announced he was leaving Celtic and the Hoops cast their managerial net abroad and made a left-field appointment in Ronny Deila – under whom Johansen had won the Norwegian title with Stromsgodset.

Johansen won PFA Scotland player of the year in 2014-15

“I had got off to a good start under Neil Lennon,” Johansen recalls. “I arrived in January, which was the off-season for me in Norway, but I came into the group and was made to feel very welcome by the players and staff.

“Lennon left that summer and Ronny came in. I had worked with him for two-and-a-half years at Stromsgodset. I enjoyed a good first season at Celtic under him, he understood the mentality of Celtic right away – and the pressure that comes with being there.

“Rangers weren’t in the league at the time so we had to win the league, there was no alternative. Ronny did a great job to win the title twice in a row.”

Overall Johansen scored 13 goals and laid on eight assists in a stellar 2014-15 campaign during which he became an integral creative spark in the engine room.

He was voted PFA Scotland player of the year ahead of Hoops team-mate Virgil van Dijk and by the end of the season Celtic had won both the Premiership and League Cup.

Yet one decision still rankles to this day. One that robbed Johansen and Deila of a potential domestic treble.

A blatant Josh Meekings handball in the box from Leigh Griffiths's point-blank range header was somehow missed by the officials during a Scottish Cup semi-final against Caley Thistle at Hampden, eventually leading to an extra-time exit.

In the aftermath, Deila admitted that he didn't even have to say anything about the penalty incident.

Johansen revealed how that day handed him an invaluable football lesson on how to cope with career setbacks.

The 55-times capped former Norway international who bagged six goals for his country said:

"I do look back on that and think Celtic could and should have won the treble that season,” Johansen said. “It can be a referee's decision or the lack of performance on the day that helps sway it the other way.

“It was one of those fine margin decisions in football – the older you get the more you understand and can accept it. You gain knowledge and wisdom about it as a learning curve. I grew and developed as a player at that moment – it has stood me in good stead for the rest of my career.”

Now at Queens Park Rangers in the English second tier, Johansen says he still harbours regrets at not getting the chance to perform in front of a sell-out Parkhead in the Champions League proper.

The Norwegian did reach the last 32 of the Europa League were Celtic agonisingly lost to old foes Inter Milan 4-3 on aggregate. A pulsating 3-3 draw in the home leg left a massive impression on the midfielder.

“We were unlucky to lose to Inter Milan,” he said. “But that [the 3-3 draw] was the best atmosphere I ever sampled at Celtic Park.

“Everybody told me about how special the European nights were when I signed for the club. I watched a few of those games on the TV but to experience them for myself was something else. It was incredible.

“That night against Inter Milan the place was jumping and bouncing and the atmosphere did not disappoint or let me down as it was like everybody had described it and more. The players just rise to it.

“I wish I could have played in the Champions League but sadly it didn’t happen during my time. We never quite made the group stages.

“But I'll always remember that night against Inter in the Europa League as that was a fantastic experience."

Johansen did, however, manage to play in two games against Rangers – although both were at the national stadium. He saw both sides of the Glasgow derby coin.

An easy 2-0 win in the League Cup semi-final of 2015 was followed by the painful defeat on penalties to Mark Warburton's men – who were a Championship side at the time – in the 2016 Scottish Cup semi-final.

Afterwards, Deila announced he was stepping down at the end of the season.

“Those were two games where I learned a lot about pressure,” Johansen added. “They are an education in terms of the two clubs and what it actually means.

“Everybody in Europe has heard of Celtic and Rangers – these games are unique, special. I am lucky to have experienced two of them.

READ MORE: Why Ronny Deila's Celtic contribution cannot be forgotten - Tony Haggerty

“The 2-0 win was fantastic and I remember that one most as it was my first game against them. It’s not just the match, it’s the build-up. The supporters started talking about it a fortnight beforehand and everywhere you go in the city you get reminded. It’s superb.

“The Scottish Cup semi-final was heartbreaking. We knew how much it meant to the fans after winning the first match and it was another chance of possibly winning a trophy. That memory has been put away and stored in a box. For me, the first game will always be the more memorable one.”

That summer, Johansen and Celtic parted company. The then 25-year-old felt it was time to seek a fresh challenge upon the arrival of Brendan Rodgers despite having 12 months left on his deal.

“I had a great chat with Brendan when he came in,” Johansen said. “He wasn’t just a great manager he was a top guy as well.

“He understood my situation – I had a year left but I felt it was time to move on. He got it. I was very grateful to him for the way he treated me and my family. We had a newborn kid coming weeks after and I have huge respect for him because of that.”

Despite only staying in Paradise for two-and-a-half years, Johansen insists he remains a Celtic supporter to this day and is proud to be associated with the club wherever he goes.

Johansen insists that he remains a Celtic supporter to this day.

He retains huge affection for the club that granted him his first ever move abroad from his homeland.

The Norwegian admits that wherever he goes he will always be proud to be associated with the club and to be remembered as part of the Celtic family.

“I will always follow Celtic,” he said. “They were my first club abroad and will always be a part of me. It was a great time in my career.

“I made friends for life outside of the pitch and the supporters to this day are always kind and friendly to me. Celtic is a family club and once you are part of that family it never leaves you."