Liam Scales believes Celtic’s new arrivals may not have been aware of how big a club the Hoops are when they joined in the summer.

Scales spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of the Europa League showdown with Besiktas, and insists the squad are aware that the standards are nowhere near where they should be.

Martin O’Neill’s side have lost their three games in the competition so far this season. If they are to have any chance of progression, then it must start with a result against the Turkish side.

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Celtic lost 2-0 at Falkirk last weekend in a dismal display that painted a familiar picture. That makes it six defeats in their last 10 games as questions remain over the identity of this current side.

Scales, who has made 16 appearances in all competitions this campaign, admits that the high turnover in players may have played a part in the struggling form. Speaking to Celtic Player, the defender believes it may take longer for the squad to gel:

“Look, there’s been a lot of ins and outs and people are probably still feeling out the club and I don’t think everyone understands when they first come how big the club is and it can take a while.

“The hard thing is you don’t really have time to set it in, but it’s a difficult thing to do when you lose probably close to 10 players and 10 new players come in; it takes time.

“So we just need to keep pushing and get back to the place where we were a couple of years ago, I suppose.”

The 28-year-old was, of course, not pointing the finger at anyone directly. His point was about the general make-up of the current crop of players, with some perhaps needing more time to settle in than others.

That’s when Scales, along with other senior players, must do their duty and help make it as smooth a transition as possible.

Performances and results show that hasn’t been the case, with many also pointing the finger at the lack of cohesion and coaching implemented.

Scales has been far from a shining light, with the majority of the squad performing well below par.

They remain top of the league, but remain on this trajectory and that could change soon. A run of wins must be put together to bring confidence back, with games coming thick and fast between now and the festive period.