Celtic board's mismanagement would lead to relegation in other football pyramids
This type of behaviour would see Celtic pummet if they were competing in another football pyramid.
There have been debates over the years about Celtic competing in England, and make of those what you will. Fans will be split over whether that will be a good idea, with increased competitive potential but it would come with the almighty cost of competing outside of Scotland, which doesn't seem right.
This isn't to push that idea or even to discuss it as a serious possibility, which it is not currently, but over the years, Scottish football has been perceived as a sort of prison for Celtic's ambitions.
Because of the size of the football club, some feel as though Celtic's potential is capped because of the size of the league they play in, but in times like these, we are reminded that it is more of a protective blanket than a prison.
Over the last couple of years, this Celtic board has sat back on league success, content that their inflated budget - in comparison to league rivals - will see them through to titles regardless of a reduction in investment.
They are right about that. The Bhoys have such a head start over their rivals that they can waltz the title, and with Rangers having struggled for consistently, they don't even need to win the Old Firm games, they can just win the majority of the games against so-called lesser sides, and they can get the job done.
The league and cup titles mask the board's lack of ambition, and while that has worn off for the club's fans, it is still enough for the board to explain away the current situation.
The reality is that it is too easy for Celtic to win the league, or to at least finish second, and that wouldn't be the case elsewhere, which is why the current strategy should not be ignored.
If Celtic showed such a lack of ambition and displayed such inefficiency while competing in England, they would find themselves plummeting to League One like many other big clubs over the years, be it Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolves, Leeds United and others.
Down South, there is no hiding place when a club isn't managed properly, and in some ways, it's a shame the Scottish league system cannot hold this board accountable in the way that more competitive systems elsewhere would.
It has afforded them a hiding place, but make no mistake, it is not good enough, and fans need to make sure that league and cup titles do not mask that.
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