Shaun Maloney has been speaking about Celtic’s ambitions in Europe, and I have to say that his comments provide an interesting insight into how those within the coaching team view the situation we find ourselves in right now.

There is an acknowledgement that Celtic need to do better, that our European reputation matters and that we cannot simply turn up, admire the scenery and hope for the best.

Wonderful! We have finally established that European football is important to Celtic. Well, to some inside Celtic anyway.

Somebody should inform the board of this remarkable discovery!

Joking aside, I agree with Maloney on almost everything he said. However, I would like to take his comments a step further because, while I appreciate his honesty, there is one rather important conversation which needs to take place with the people upstairs at Celtic Park.

And that conversation should begin with a very simple question: what exactly are Celtic’s ambitions in Europe, and what are the board of pricks prepared to do to achieve them?

According to the Daily Record, Maloney said that he hopes the people in power at Celtic remain determined to make an impact on the European stage.

He was also careful to point out that he does not speak to the board very often, explaining that such matters are for Martin O’Neill.

Now, I understand that Maloney is an assistant manager, not a member of the Celtic board. I also understand that the club has its own hierarchy and that not every member of the coaching staff will be involved in every conversation about long-term strategy.

Nevertheless, I find it rather concerning that when discussing Celtic’s European ambitions, Maloney can only say that he hopes the people upstairs want the same things as the supporters and coaching staff.

Hope is a wonderful thing. It keeps us going through difficult times, inspires us when we are struggling and occasionally persuades us that the next transfer window might finally bring the players we desperately need.

But hope is not a football strategy.

And it certainly is not a substitute for proper planning.

I want to know whether Celtic’s board is genuinely determined to restore the club to the level we should be operating at in Europe, or whether it is simply happy to make the appropriate noises whenever the subject comes up.

Because there is a considerable difference between wanting to compete in Europe and being prepared to do what it takes to compete in Europe and if Celtic want to make a genuine impact on the continent, ambition has to be reflected in the club’s decisions, not merely in interviews.

Maloney said that Celtic have to get everything right if we want to push forward in Europe.

Again, he is absolutely correct. But let us examine what that actually means.

It means having a coherent recruitment strategy, identifying weaknesses in the squad and addressing them before they become glaring problems on the pitch.

It means recruiting players of sufficient quality to compete against European opposition rather than repeatedly discovering that the squad lacks the necessary depth when the important matches arrive.

It means giving the manager the tools to do his job, establishing a clear footballing philosophy and ensuring that the people responsible for recruitment and the people responsible for coaching are working towards the same objectives.

Most importantly, it means understanding that European progress cannot be achieved through wishful thinking, bargain hunting and crossing our fingers.

I am not suggesting that Celtic should spend money recklessly or attempt to compete financially with clubs whose resources are vastly greater than ours. That would be absurd.

But there is a difference between being financially responsible and allowing financial caution to become an excuse for sporting stagnation.

Celtic have resources, a tremendous support, a historic reputation and a stadium which should be a formidable place for European visitors. We have everything necessary to build a competitive football club capable of making its presence felt beyond Scotland.

What we need is a board which understands how to turn those advantages into sustained progress. That is why Maloney’s comments matter.

He is part of the coaching team. He can see what the squad needs, assess the standard required at European level and understand where Celtic are falling short. That knowledge should form part of a serious conversation about the future of the club.

Of course, I appreciate that these discussions may already be taking place behind closed doors. But if they are, I would quite like to see some evidence of them in the decisions Celtic makes.

Maloney also spoke about the importance of Celtic’s European history and the responsibility which comes with representing this club on the continent.

That particularly caught my attention because he is absolutely right. European football is not some optional extra Celtic can treat as a pleasant distraction between domestic fixtures. It is part of our identity.

We are the club of the Lisbon Lions. We are the club which conquered Europe in 1967, when a team of Scottish players achieved something which remains one of the greatest accomplishments in football history.

Our European heritage is not something we should merely celebrate in anniversary videos and commemorative merchandise. It should inspire us to pursue achievements of our own.

Nobody is suggesting that Celtic should be winning the Champions League every few years. We have to be realistic about the financial realities of modern football.

But realism should never be confused with a lack of ambition.

I want Celtic to be competitive. I want us to approach European matches believing that we can hurt our opponents rather than simply hoping to survive them.

I want players who relish the opportunity to test themselves against the best, and I want a squad capable of producing performances which make the Celtic support proud.

Most of all, I want a club which understands that European progress requires long-term commitment.

Maloney spoke about how important the current Europa League campaign is, particularly because Celtic need to start collecting points. I agree.

Every home match matters, and the upcoming game against Celta is another opportunity to demonstrate that Celtic can compete.

But one match cannot solve structural problems, just as one victory cannot suddenly transform a poorly planned recruitment strategy into a successful one.

The work has to begin long before the players walk onto the pitch.

There is also an uncomfortable backdrop to this discussion.

Celtic supporters have been frustrated by what they see as a failure to prepare adequately for European football, while the Green Brigade are boycotting the match against Celta. I wrote about this last night; we should not be expected to simply take our seats and say nothing. That’s not how it works.

Supporters are entitled to demand more from their club.

They are entitled to question its priorities, criticise its decisions and insist that Celtic should operate with a greater sense of purpose. I do not believe the answer to every disagreement is a boycott, nor do I expect every supporter to agree about the best way forward.

But I do believe the frustration surrounding Celtic is symptomatic of a deeper problem: too many supporters feel that the club’s ambitions are not being matched by the people responsible for running it.

That is a serious problem for a club whose greatest strength has always been the connection between Celtic and its support.

We cannot talk about the importance of our European reputation while ignoring the concerns of the people who travel across the continent to support the team.

Those supporters invest their money, their time and their emotions in Celtic. They deserve to see a club which takes their expectations seriously.

I welcome Maloney’s comments because they show an awareness of what Celtic should be striving towards. He understands the importance of European football, the expectations surrounding this club and the need to make progress.

But now the words have to become something more. The manager’s ambitions have to be understood. The coaching staff and recruitment team have to be pulling in the same direction. And the board has to demonstrate, through its decisions, that it genuinely intends to give Celtic the best possible chance of progressing in Europe.

Because unless the people running this club want the same things as the coaching staff and supporters, and unless they have a credible plan for getting us there, we are going absolutely nowhere.

We can talk about the Lisbon Lions, celebrate our history, admire our European reputation and sing about the glory of Celtic Park until the proverbial cows come home.

But history alone will not win our next European match. We need planning. We need recruitment. We need investment in the right areas. We need footballing leadership with a clear vision of where this club is going.

And we need a board which understands that Celtic’s potential is not measured by how much money can be left sitting in the bank, but by what the club can achieve on the pitch.

Shaun Maloney is right: Celtic must push forward in Europe.

The supporters already know what they want. The coaching staff appear to understand what is required. So perhaps it is time to stop wondering whether the board shares those ambitions and start demanding that it demonstrates them.

Because if even the assistant manager can only hope that the people running Celtic want to make an impact in Europe, perhaps the biggest question is not how far Celtic can go in this competition.

Perhaps it is whether the people in charge have any idea how to get us there.

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