If This Is Failure - I'll Take It

SUCH has been the whipped-up "interest" in that on-going soap opera 'Edmiston Drive' that, in some ways, Celtic and Neil Lennon have had a fairly easy ride throughout this season.

Certainly, Celtic have confirmed their "favourites" tag by winning the Premiership at a canter, but, given the huge financial advantage they enjoy. over the other 11 clubs in that top division, the inevitable Celtic win has almost been greeted with a disdainful: "So what?"

Celtic winning the league is not news; however, it could be argued that Celtic NOT winning the Scottish and League Cups, or going further in Europe IS news. Celtic, like "Old" Rangers, are, for better or worse, judged by standards not used in connection with the other Scottish clubs.

Therefore, some might argue that not completing a Treble of league and both cups marks Neil Lennon down as a failure as Celtic manager. That his side's failure to extend their European campaign past Christmas is another failure. I don't susbscribe to these beliefs.

Lennon's Celtic could only beat what was put-up against them domestically. This they did in the main benchmark here, the League. However, it goes without saying, Celtic do not set a minimum standard for the SPFL. The 2013-14 Celtic squad comes nowhere near the quality of consistency of the Lisbon Lions, but, by the same measure, the opposition they are facing today is nowhere near as good as the opposition Jock Stein's immortals faced nearly half a century ago.

Scottish football has been on a downward spiral since the start of World War II. That spiral, the lack of ability across the whole area of football, has affected Celtic, perhaps to a lesser degree, as much as it has affected all the other clubs.

If the rest could up their game, challenge Celtic more domestically; then, just maybe, Celtic would up their game, both at home and, more-importantly inasmuch as they are Scotland's standard-bearers, abroad.

I don't suppose Neil Lennon sat his troops down on the first day of pre-season, nearly a year ago now and said: "OK lads, this is the plan: we win the league without losing a game, we win the Scottish Cup and the League Cup and we reach at least the last-16 in the Champions League - this is the minimum the management of this club will accept". Were he to have done that, I think even the players would have laughed.

Such achievements were probably the aspirations of everyone at Celtic, but, Neil Lennon and Peter Lawwell surely knew, even as they (if they did) discussed their  aspirations for 2013-14, that they would be unlikely to hit all their targets.

Yes, there will be disappointment within the Celtic club at not having won more trophies, or lasted longer in Europe, but, they are still the team which sets the benchmark, the one to beat - no way has 2013-14 been a bad season.

In 2014-15, it is up to the chasers to close the gap, to make the Premiership meaningful again. Celtic have not failed - the other 11 top-flight clubs have failed - to make Scottish football relevant.