Celtic Park used to be a place where we would regularly beats the giants of European Football in the Champions League. From Juventus to Barcelona, from AC Milan to Man United.
And this wasn’t even with guys like Sutton, Larsson and Hartson. We beat these types of teams with guys like Gary Caldwell, Stephen McManus, Paul Telfer and Evander Sno. With all due respect to these players, they shouldn’t have been be beating teams of that ilk.
But we did. And most years. Our home record was phenomenal.
And yet here we are, playing in the third tier European competition against a team from Norway who apparently have the same annual wage bill as Motherwell, and getting scudded off them.
And according to a lot of Celtic fans we aren’t allowed to be upset about this. If we dare to show any anger or frustration about getting beaten at a packed out Celtic Park by a club that we have far superior resources to, we are called ‘entitled’ and ‘new age fans’.
Yes, some of the reaction I saw last night was mental and totally over the top. Some fans saying to sack the manager or that Jota was rubbish and only good at SPFL level. Absolute nonsense.
But it is totally fair an reasonable to expect us to beat the Norwegian league champions at Celtic Park.
If Celtic get outclassed by a better team with a bigger budget from a better league like Bayern Leverkusen, you have to hold you hands up because there is no shame in that. As long as we try our best and play to the best of our ability we can hold our heads high.
Last night we were awful. Not one single player played well. It was an unacceptable performance for a club like Celtic, and supports have a right t voice their frustrations.
I also don’t agree with the view that ‘the league is all that matters’. We are Celtic football club. Yes the league is the priority, always has bee and always will be, but to suggest European competition simply doesn’t matter and that it is a bonus, is quite frankly embarrassing.
Since when did having pride in ourselves and expecting a certain standard become a stick for fellow supporters to beat us with?
