REALITY. It was the one word which kept popping up again and again as John Collins combed over the debris of Celtic’s European campaign under slate-grey skies at Lennoxtown.

Certainly, the assistant manager of the Ladbrokes Premiership champions appears to have a more acute grasp of it than head coach Ronny Deila.

Not so long ago, the Norwegian reacted sharply to the suggestion made by Alex McLeish that even a treble in a domestic scene devoid of a competitive Rangers might not be enough without some semblance of success in UEFA competition.

Deila, disposition as sunny as ever, still talks of being ready to qualify for the Champions League next season at the third time of asking. The prospect of being removed from his position does not appear to have crossed his mind despite being out of the Europa League before the final game with just two points to show from five fixtures.

Collins, of course, has knowledge of the pressures that exist at Celtic from his time as a player. He is content with the job he and Deila are doing within the budgetary constraints in place, but he understands that a clean sweep of trophies is unlikely to prevent questions being asked of the worth of a management team that cannot prosper in European competition.

“It would be pretty unique in world football, I would imagine, but it could be the reality,” he said.

“We will be judged at the end of the season if we are still here.”

Deila talks of being in the manager’s office this time next year as though it is a given. It may be telling that Collins does not.

“If you get sacked, you get sacked,” he said. “It’s not going to be the end of the world, but you’d be very disappointed. I enjoy my job and it’s the last thing I worry about.

“When you know you are doing your best, it gives you a calmness.”

Certainly, Collins accepts that, in the current climate, Europe is going to have a bigger say on the future of the Celtic manager than ever before.

“It’s a tough shout, but I think that’s the reality at the moment,” he said. “Going forward, every Celtic manager is going to be judged by that.

“Everyone wants us to be in the Champions League, but we are still sitting at the top of the Scottish Premiership, scoring goals most weeks and entertaining.

“We are in the semi-final of the League Cup and still in the Scottish Cup.

“People will say ‘that’s nothing’, but a lot of clubs in the world would like to be going for a domestic treble.

“We are top of the league and some people say it is rubbish, but when I was here as a player…”

The sentence trails off. What life was like as a player in Collins’ time is largely irrelevant. Celtic work in a different environment these days. For the moment, there is no credible competition at home. It is why making it to the Champions League, particularly now that UEFA has created a ‘Champions Route’ that should benefit them, is all the more important.

“We should be top of the league,” remarked Collins. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t be going for the treble. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be doing better in Europe.

“The board of directors and everyone else will decide if we are good enough or if we need to be replaced.

“The board have to make a decision based on the games they are watching and the players they are seeing. Are the players getting better?

“I see a lot of improvement. This time last year, Tom Rogic had hardly played a game. Now, anyone who watches him sees flashes of brilliance.

“Kieran Tierney? No-one had heard of him last year.

“What were they worth last year and what are they worth now?”

Sadly, Celtic’s business model seems focused more on developing and selling for profit than reinvesting to create a team capable of qualifying for the Champions League.

In financial terms, bringing in £13m for Virgil van Dijk, £10m for Fraser Forster and £12.5m for Victor Wanyama represents terrific business.

Less pleasing is the kind of money that goes abegging thanks to the continual failure to make it to the group stage of club football’s premier tournament. What, then, is the club’s real target?

“The target is to entertain the fans every week, domestically and in European football,” said Collins. “It’s a challenge. We’ve only got two points in the Europa League group and I’m not going to try and butter it up.

“It’s not been good. We’ve not qualified, but there have been spells, apart from the Molde games, where we have had some excellent periods.”

Collins, for example, insists there was enough in the 2-1 loss to Ajax on Thursday evening to offer glimmers of hope.

“You look at the game and the reality of it,” he said. “Ajax are top of the Dutch league - above PSV Eindhoven, who got a draw at Old Trafford and beat Man United at home. We have gone up against them with four of our main players missing.

“Our young left-back (Kieran Tierney) played like a £5 million left-back. No one had heard of him two months ago, but we’ve worked with him on the first-team training pitch for the last six months. That’s what gives us energy and hope for the future.”

The immediate future consists of a difficult trip to Inverness on league duty tomorrow.

“It’s back down to earth with a bang, heading up to the sunny Inverness, big Yogi’s ugly face staring at us,” smiled Collins. “That is reality.”