In years to come, it will surely be a head-scratcher at pub quizzes across the land: Which team was knocked out of the Champions League twice in a month? Not that Celtic fans will have trouble coming up with the answer, given that events of recent weeks will linger in the memories of those associated with Celtic Park for some time to come.
Celtic’s second elimination from the competition this week, at the hands of Slovenian champions Maribor, was painful enough, but the events leading up to this game in recent weeks will have deflated many hoops followers even before the domestic season has got into its stride.
The Champions League qualifying rounds are a testing time for all sides given what is at stake. In addition to the prestige associated with participating in the group stages of club football’s grandest tournament, and the opportunity to rub shoulders with the big guns, there is the not insignificant matter of a guaranteed £15m being sunk into the club coffers for the privilege.
In recent seasons, the weight of expectation surrounding the qualifying rounds hung heavily around the shoulders of former Celtic manager Neil Lennon. The Irishman’s demeanour during those fixtures did little to betray the anxiety he felt, and it has been widely rumoured that this was one of the reasons Lennon decided to depart the hot seat at the end of last season – he simply didn’t have the stomach for another few rounds of nerve-shredding, season-defining fixtures.
Of course, the Celtic board would have been understandably exercised by the prospect of such a lavish bounty, particularly during these challenging financial times, in Scottish football at least. But for the fans, players and management team, there was the more basic aim of having something to maintain their interest and focus during the course of a long season.
After all, in light of Rangers’ lengthy absence from the top flight, the league title race is a formality, so the word is that, without the glitz of the Champions League to look forward to, what else will satisfy the fans through a long winter? League title processions – without so much as a hint of a challenge - are not particularly savoured if truth be told. Healthy competition is what makes sport what it is.
New boss Ronny Deila would have been painfully aware of the importance of Champions League participation to his new club, as well as his own reputation in the eyes of the fans who were perhaps rather under-whelmed by his surprising appointment a couple of months ago.
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, to lose once is unfortunate, to lose twice is careless. In this case, careless is an understatement when you consider the circumstances of Celtic’s 6-1 aggregate thrashing at the hands of Legia Warsaw, a result that humiliated the Scottish champions and led to serious questions about Deila being asked even at this early stage of his tenure.
However, Legia were then eliminated from the tournament when it was discovered they fielded a player who was still serving a 3-match ban towards the end of the second leg clash. The tie was effectively awarded to Celtic much to the understandable displeasure of the Polish side, who it can be assumed could have found something worthwhile to do with 15 million big ones.
Celtic had been unmoved by this of course, and for all Legia’s protests – including a ridiculous request to play Celtic in a one-off match to determine which team would proceed to the final qualifying round, and appeals to FIFA and the European Court of Sporting Arbitration- Celtic were able to take their place in the next round after all.
To be fair to Deila and his players, they did not deny their high slice of fortune, in that they had managed to put themselves on the verge of qualification despite having been comprehensively outplayed by Legia over the two legs. They maintained, however, that their responsibility was to ensure that this reprieve, this absolute gift, was not ultimately wasted.
The first leg in Slovenia ended 1-1, a decent score with an away goal to boot that confirmed Celtic as strong favourites to win through. However, the Bhoys were strangely subdued and hesitant for the most part in front of their home fans, and as the match progressed without a goal, the tension within the ground – as well as that etched on the face of the watching Deila – was tangible.
Ultimately, the 2-1 aggregate loss must rank as one of the most painful in recent memory for Celtic, and of course it doesn’t resonate well for Scottish football as a whole, given that, once again, the participation of the country’s other European representatives in the Europa League failed to outlast the summer holiday period.
Celtic at least have the consolation of automatic participation in the Europa League group stages to look forward to, but this will do little to lessen the pain for the club as a whole, and Deila in particular. One suspects, in fact, that Deila will feel this is akin to being the ugly bridesmaid at the ravishing beauty’s wedding.