The blame game that started after last night’s Champions League exit didn’t focus on the dug-out- it was aimed at the boardroom.
Ripples of discontent have been held at bay as supporters gave Ronny Deila time to settle and the boardroom strategy the benefit of the doubt.
Concerns about a shift in policy towards loan signings rather then bringing in emerging talents could have been overcome with a place in the group stage of the Champions League vindicating that decision.
In the light of last night’s defeat every aspect of the club will be examined by supporters with Peter Lawwell in the firing line ahead of Deila.
There are plenty of grounds to question a manager who seems determined to play in a way that uses just one striker when he plainly doesn’t have the players to work that system.
Going out of the Champions League will clearly make recruitment of players more difficult but as well as financial considerations- which is 90% of the reasoning behind most transfers- players and agents will be asking if joining Celtic will benefit or harm their reputation.
At the root of the problem is the lack of recent investment in the team despite the club apparently being in it’s strongest ever position.
In February Lawwell was bullish as he announced a £21.3m profit for the six month period to 31 December 2013- six months later things could hardly be bleaker with zero appetite for a Europa League campaign that highlights a club in decline.
“Neil will have substantial funds to spend in the summer,” the chief executive said in February. “We’re in arguably the best financial state we’ve ever been in but it makes no sense to keep the money in the bank. We want to invest in the club by investing in good footballers that create value for the club.Â
“Celtic can buy a £6-8m player if the value is there. We would not buy a 29-year-old at £8m on a four-year contract at £40,000 a week because that is dead money but if there’s value in signing an £8m player we will look at it.”
The January signings of Stefan Johansen and Leigh Griffiths were largely welcomed as a sign that more quality was on the way but rumblings of discontent started with the departure of Lennon.
As each deadline passed for Champions League signings concerns grew with last night’s side coming from last season’s squad with the addition of Craig Gordon and Jo Inge Berget- while £11m has been deposited in the bank from the sales of Tony Watt and Fraser Forster.
“If there was any disappointment in January it was that we wanted to get as many players in as we could, to embed them and have them settled for the qualifiers,” Lawwell explained. “But it was very difficult and it’s getting more and more difficult, especially in January.
“We made a few bids, and we felt we were in a good position to get players, but if clubs don’t want to sell then there’s nothing you can do.
“We would like to get our business done early this summer, to get one or two in to make it more possible to get through the qualifiers but there are no guarantees.”
The Celtic support has backed the club time and time again even though their instinct has often questioned some of the decisions made in the boardroom.
Over the next week they are expecting answers and evidence rather than excuses and transfer tales of woe- the expected departure of Virgil van Dijk won’t be easily explained.
During the last decade Lawwell has navigated his way out of many difficult situations- he’ll require all of his leadership skills to convince the 60,000 who filled Celtic Park last night that the club is on the right tracks and delivering on and off the park.
With six month profits of over £20m it takes a lot to explain why a place in the Champions League was lost to a team whose top players pick up  €10,ooo a month.