And. Here. We. Go.

Again.

Just when I thought Celtic might finally have found their feet after that magnificent 7-1 demolition of Hearts, we managed to bring ourselves crashing back down to earth with another European defeat.

Celtic’s 2-1 defeat to Celta Vigo leaves me wondering whether we are witnessing the beginning of another collapse in consistency rather than a team finally learning how to behave like champions.

I sincerely hope I am wrong. I really do.

But forgive me for being a wee bit concerned when Celtic can produce a performance which makes the entire footballing world sit up and take notice, only to follow it with another disappointing evening which leaves me scratching my head and wondering what on earth has gone wrong this time.

Seven goals against Hearts, followed by another European defeat. What exactly are we supposed to make of that?

Before the international break, Celtic had suffered three consecutive failures and the atmosphere around the club was hardly one of unshakeable confidence.

Then came Hearts. Seven goals. Seven! The Motherwell game gave us confidence, Benfica brought us down but the response was tremendous.

Celtic Park was treated to a performance which reminded me why I fell in love with this club in the first place. The Boys in green and white looked aggressive, confident, hungry and capable of playing football worthy of champions.

I was delighted. I was proud. Naturally, I dared to hope that perhaps we had finally turned a corner. But here we are again.

Another defeat, another European disappointment, another evening when I find myself asking whether Celtic have actually learned anything from their previous failures.

I am not suggesting Celtic must score seven goals every time they walk onto a football pitch. That would be rather unreasonable, even by my standards as a Celtic supporter! But I do expect a club of Celtic’s stature to demonstrate a certain level of consistency regardless of the competition or opposition.

Champions do not have to win every game by a landslide. They do, however, have to demonstrate that their mentality, standards and determination remain intact when the goals are not flying in and everything is not going according to plan.

That is what concerns me about Celtic right now. We can look magnificent one afternoon and then, a few days later, look like a team which has forgotten what it is supposed to be.

A 7-1 victory is wonderful. It means very little if we cannot build on it.

Now, let me be fair.

I do not believe Celtic were dreadful throughout the entire match against Celta Vigo. There were periods when we played some genuinely good football. We created promising opportunities in both halves. There were moments when Celtic looked capable of taking control of the game and chances which might have changed the outcome completely.

Mika Baur even found the net, giving us another reason to believe we might actually get something from the evening.

And then, somehow, everything seemed to go flat.

That is the frustrating part.

Celtic were not outclassed from the first whistle. We had opportunities, moments of quality and enough encouragement to suggest that a positive result was possible. So why did we allow Celta Vigo to take the points?

Why could we not maintain the same urgency, intensity and attacking conviction throughout the match? Why does our football so often appear to depend on whether the players happen to find their rhythm on a particular evening?

I am looking for answers, not excuses. There is a difference between losing a closely contested European fixture against a capable opponent and repeatedly failing to turn promising performances into consistent results.

The former is football. The latter is a problem which demands serious attention.

And I refuse to accept that Celtic supporters should simply shrug their shoulders and move on every time the team produces another performance which raises more questions than answers. A winning mentality cannot magically appear when the opposition is Hearts and disappear when the opposition is Celta Vigo.

It cannot be reserved for special occasions, nor should it depend on whether Celtic score an early goal or enjoy a particularly good opening spell.

It has to be embedded in the way the team plays.

I want to see Celtic approach every match with a clear purpose. I want players who understand their roles, trust one another, know how to respond when an opponent applies pressure and refuse to surrender control simply because the game becomes difficult.

Most importantly, I want to see a team capable of recovering when things go wrong.

That is what separates champions from teams which occasionally produce brilliant performances. Celtic have the talent to entertain us. We have seen that. We have seen the attacking quality, individual brilliance and ability to overwhelm opponents.

But talent alone is not enough.

Without consistency, organisation and a clearly defined tactical approach, even a talented squad can become frustratingly unpredictable.

And frankly, I am getting rather tired of trying to predict which Celtic will turn up.

Will it be the magnificent team which dismantled Hearts 7-1, or the one which leaves us wondering how another winnable match slipped away? Perhaps the Celtic board pricks would like to provide us with a weekly forecast.

At least then we could dress appropriately for the occasion: green and white celebrations one week, funeral attire the next.

Sarcasm aside, this is a serious issue.

We also need to discuss the controversy involving Callum Osmand.

From my perspective, the Celta Vigo player clearly fouled Osmand, yet the referee appeared to see things rather differently. Instead of awarding Celtic the decision I believed was deserved, he produced a yellow card for Camilo Durán.

What exactly was that about?

I am perfectly aware that referees make mistakes.

Football would be a very different game if every decision were correct, and I am not going to pretend Celtic should never be penalised for anything. But when a decision appears that baffling, supporters are entitled to question it.

Celtic were fighting for a result, and moments like that can affect the flow of a match, frustrate players and potentially alter the course of the game.

I would like to know how that incident was assessed, and I would also like Celtic to be more assertive when seeking explanations for decisions which appear to have gone against us.

We cannot control every refereeing decision, but we can ask questions.

Of course, even if the referee had made the decision I expected, Celtic would still have needed to take their chances and perform better in the decisive moments.

We have to acknowledge our own shortcomings while questioning decisions which deserve scrutiny. Both things can be true. And this is where my patience with the wider club really starts to wear thin.

Celtic supporters are repeatedly expected to demonstrate loyalty, buy tickets, purchase merchandise, renew season tickets and continue backing the club through thick and thin.

We do that because Celtic means something to us. It is not simply a business transaction or a convenient form of entertainment.

But loyalty must not be confused with blind acceptance.

If Celtic are serious about competing in Europe, then the people running the club must demonstrate that ambition through their decisions, planning and investment.

We cannot keep talking about European aspirations while accepting inconsistency which makes sustained progress increasingly difficult.

I want to know what the long-term footballing plan is. I want proper preparation, recruitment which addresses the team’s needs, a coherent approach to coaching and accountability when things are not working.

And I want the Celtic board pricks to understand that supporters are not asking for miracles. We are asking for competence, ambition and a club which behaves as though competing at the highest possible level actually matters.

If those in charge cannot provide that direction, perhaps it is time they considered stepping aside for people who can.

Yes, I am talking about the Celtic board pricks. And no, another carefully worded statement about ambition will not magically make these problems disappear.

The board cannot expect the manager and players to carry responsibility for every failure while the people responsible for the wider footballing structure remain comfortably insulated from criticism.

Celtic need leadership from the top down.

They need a clear footballing philosophy, proper planning and a determination to build something sustainable rather than simply hoping another outstanding performance will silence the critics for a week.

Because that is what the Hearts result now risks becoming.

One brilliant afternoon. One reminder of what this team might be capable of when everything clicks. The 7-1 victory was not an illusion. Celtic showed genuine attacking quality, aggression and confidence that afternoon.

But the defeat against Celta Vigo reminded us that one magnificent performance does not solve every underlying problem.

Choose The CelticBlog as a ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the news you value.