FOR the last three years, one of Celtic's biggest issues has not been achieving success, but measuring it.

Driven by a support hungry for trophies, European nights and league titles, satisfying this giant of Scottish football can often be a thankless task.

Some believe winning the title and asserting themselves as the country's top club is enough; others would argue that only by accentuating this with Champions League football can one be content with a season's haul.

On top of that, you have some who reckon in this era without a strong Rangers that nothing but a domestic Treble will do.

Perhaps his distance from it all has given him a more objective viewpoint, but Owen Coyle is happy the Glasgow club is going in the right direction.

Now manager of Houston Dynamo in the MLS, Coyle has kept close tabs on his Bhoyhood heroes from Texas as Ronny Deila's first season as manager at Parkhead comes to an end.

The former Wigan and Bolton manager was one of the names tipped to succeed Neil Lennon last summer before the Norwegian was eventually appointed. Coyle has been impressed how he has gone about his business, in particular in the way his team has handled a series of early setbacks to eventually find their groove.

Going out of the Champions League qualifiers twice to Legia Warsaw and then Maribor only doubled the disappointment of not dining at Europe's top table for the Celtic support.

Despite those early troubles, though, the Houston manager has been impressed by how claiming a league title and a League Cup has been safely secured by Deila in his first year at the helm.

He said: "I keep right on top of things in terms of games, I still see every match. I don't miss anything.

"There's a bit of bias involved, of course, because everyone knows I'm a big Celtic man, so you are always looking out for them and every other team. It's a huge job. Glasgow Celtic is a global club.

"Celtic at the outset are always expected to win the league. A lot of people suggest that, given the finances that they have, then they should be bringing in lots of cups. But I know these games can always be fraught with danger.

"The test for Celtic will be the Champions League and getting into the group stage.

"They didn't manage that, but given the difficult period of the Legia Warsaw saga and the Maribor game you have to give them credit. The team dusted themselves down, picked themselves up after the disappointment of not making it to go on a good run in the league, although Aberdeen pushed them all the way."

Given the tumultuous start which Deila was subjected to, it will be over the course of the coming campaigns that he and his tenure will be judged.

It is yet to be seen if competing against Rangers next term will be part of the immediate challenge for him. Even if that is the case, it is also unclear what kind of problem the Ibrox club may pose considering how they have laboured at times this term.

But given the disappointment of Celtic's Champions League qualifying at the start of the season, ensuring Celtic are better prepared this time round to make into the group stages would go a long way to easing the expectation levels on the Norwegian's shoulders.

"What I think they need to do now is be clever in the transfer market and look to get a team that can get back in the Champions League group stage," said Coyle.

"That's what the Celtic fans crave. We all crave the team to be at the top table playing against the best teams in Europe.

"I can assure you there is nothing better than Celtic Park on a European night and everyone will be desperate to get there again."

Having been over in the United States since the turn of the year, Coyle has seen first-hand the talent that has swamped the MLS.

Acquisitions such as Robbie Keane, Frank Lampard and, most recently, Steven Gerrard, have also done the league's reputation the world of good. But as well as proven veterans plying their trade on the other side of the pond, there is a surge of upcoming talent that has helped raise the profile of the sport.

And given Celtic's track record under John Park at unearthing hidden gems, Coyle wouldn't be surprised at the Hoops' radar extending over the MLS.

He said: "It's a fine balance.Within the MLS there are world-class players, that goes without saying.

"But the difficulty is going to be when you look at the money Celtic have compared to that generated by teams in England.

"Smaller clubs than Celtic can attract greater wealth because of TV money and that's the problem.

"These players won't be prised away cheaply from the MLS given what they can earn here and the value that is put on them. But, like any league, there is always good talent if you look hard enough. If you do that you will find players who can help a club the size of Glasgow Celtic, absolutely."

Coyle added: "They have the best in the business in John Park in spotting young talent who can improve. Celtic, like anyone else, is a business. They have to make sure they have a conveyor belt of talent from a financial point of view. But equally, we want the team on the park to do Celtic proud."