It’s been a concerning season and it’s been poor at times but last night was a new low.
Playing a side ravaged by Covid and injury and who had only played two games in over a month both of which were heavy defeats in Europe the stage was set for three points and dare I say it a statement performance.
Instead, what we got was the worst display of the season as a pathetic Celtic side were ripped apart by what was effectively the Sparta B-team.
In doing so we made a statement all right that being that we’re not up to it.
Celtic won all three of their Europa League group home games last season but have been hammered in both home ties this time and having won our group last season we’re effectively out at the halfway point this term.
How’s that for regression?!
Unheralded Sparta striker Lukas Julis had only ever scored 19 goals in 93 games for his side coming in but last night grabbed a hattrick and in doing so became the first man to achieve that feat against us at Celtic Park since Eric Black did it with Aberdeen way back in 1983.
Vladislav Krejci put the icing on the cake with a fourth in the 90th minute which was no more than his side deserved.
We did get back into the game momentarily via a Leigh Griffiths effort on 65 mins but it was false hope and we crumbled soon after.
It wasn’t quite as bereft as the Rangers performance as we actually scored and had some efforts on goal but defensively it was a disaster.
Shane Duffy continues to cement his position as one of the poorest signings the club has made in recent history.
As slow as a carthorse and incapable of timing a challenge or reading a game he’s a persistent calamity at the back.
Neil Lennon has doubled down on selecting him and is reaping the rewards that being us losing 14 goals in six games.
After six Europa League group games last season we’d conceded six goals in total.
This season after three games we’ve already conceded nine.
Up top, Odsonne Edouard continues to toil looking apathetic and disinterested.
Our midfield is non-existent with Scott Brown persistently a passenger and Callum McGregor – usually an eight out of ten every week – also looks nervous and lost.
Tom Rogic and Ryan Christie took Aberdeen to the cleaners on Sunday but both went missing last night while Mohamed Elyounoussi remains capable of individual moments of brilliance but can’t form a partnership with anyone.
Jeremie Frimpong continues to tear down the wing but has no end product and as suspected Nir Bitton has not been the Franz Beckenbauer type of figure that an element of our support had eulogised him to be when our defence was creaking and we awaited his comeback to health.
In short, outside of Diego Laxalt, there’s not much to get excited about.
We’ve now won only one game in six and have suffered three consecutive home defeats for the first time since 1990.
It really is grim reading.
Almost unthinkable in a season where we expected so much and invested so heavily.
If we lose or draw away to an inform Motherwell side on Sunday then we could be 11-12 points behind in the league and with Rangers set to play on the day when we play last seasons Scottish Cup final on December 20th we could be 14-15 points behind before Christmas.
Even with three games in hand that would appear to be an almost insurmountable gap to climb.
A few things are clear and that’s that we need Christopher Jullien and Kris Ajer back in defence and Neil Lennon needs to pick a formation and style now and stick to it for most of his games.
Claims that we’ve turned a corner after last weekend were hopeful fantasy along the lines of if you say it often enough then maybe it’ll come true.
It hasn’t and if a corner was turned on Sunday then we turned another one straight back to where we started last night.
If we record another calamitous result on Sunday then going into the international break the rumours and innuendo will be flying and there’s an element of the support who are demanding change already.
I don’t personally sign up that train of thought right now but Sunday is vital.
Every game has pressure but the visit to Fir Park is huge and a lack of a reaction can only bring you to one conclusion and it’s that the payers just aren’t doing it for the manager.
Europe is gone barring a miracle that this team don’t look up to and we won’t be playing on the continent after Christmas and New Year having done so for the previous three straight seasons and in five of the last nine campaigns.
Domestically everything is still salvageable, however.
Indeed I remember our opposition from Govan being an almost identical situation to the one we are in now back in 2009.
They were dropping points domestically and were getting tonked in Europe every fortnight without fail.
After exiting continental competition they went on a 16 game unbeaten league run from early December to late March effectively burying Celtic’s title challenge in the process.
We need a similar response.
And quick.
....Always A Tim! 