IT started with some bloggers, then crept into the fanzines, it’s always been on social media and now John Collins is at it.

Essentially, the defence of Celtic’s shortcomings, both home and abroad, is actually quite simple. At least we’re not in the mess the Rangers are in. That is the cry.

This is true. Of that there is no argument. But is that really good enough? To my mind the answer to that is a resolute no.

Here's a thing. Boasting that your club didn’t manage to be liquidated is not much of a boast. That should be a pretty easy one to avoid, even if Rangers went head first into what is their own personal shame.

Celtic have to be the best they can be, not just better than their old pals who may or may not win promotion from the Championship this season.

This is what Collins had to say about the Celtic board’s spending policy when it was put to him that a bit more money should be found for the team to be god enough to get in the Champions League once again.

“You’ve just got to keep believing. The club’s got a budget. Look what happened to our opponents across the road. Do we want to be where they are?

“Would Rangers fans like to be where we are just now? Would Rangers Football Club like to be where we are? You’ve got to have ambition. You’ve got to be hungry for success on all fronts.”

Is there any Celtic fan out there who wants their club to risk having to play East Stirling on a regular basis by spending money they don't have? Of course not.

All they want is for Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell to have rethink.

That doesn’t mean spending £10m on one player, but rather for them to find the extra cash to fund a move for Steven Fletcher or someone of that ilk. One of two of them, rather than Nadir Ciftci and Carlton Cole, just might have seen Malmo defeated.

It’s a thought.

But they did not and the Europa League was a disaster to the extent that even a Treble may not save Ronny Deila and his team from the sack.

Collins, who stood in for the Norwegian yesterday, in fairness he did not shirk a single question.

He said: “We'll be judged at the end of the season - if we're still here. It would be pretty unique in world football I would imagine (if they got sacked after a Treble). But it could be the reality”

Is it fair that Celtic 2015 get judged almost exclusively in what they do in Europe?

Collins said: “It’s tough call. It’s tough shout. I think that’s the reality at the moment. Going forward, every Celtic manager is going to be judged by that. That’s going to be the challenge going forward.”

More money would help.

Collins said: "I can’t answer that question. You’re asking the wrong man. I’m not the money man. I’m just a coach.”

In Celtic’s defence, even a bang-average “Champions League” players costs a small fortune these days. However, Molde, Malmo and Maribor don't have close budget of Scotland's dominant club.

And given that Celtic is well run and the squad isn't rotten, far from it, then surely this group of players have to do better than they have done in Europe.

Collins said: “The small details against Ajax basically were finishing and not making simple mistakes, passes that should connect or first touch, lose control.

“You give the ball away in Europe teams go up the park and get shots on target or create something. They can attack in numbers and with pace.

“But again, our goalkeeper’s not made ten saves, we’ve not been peppered the whole game. First half they’ve had a lot of possession, we sat back and were a goal in front. Second half I thought was better from us.”

With 15 minutes to go and Celtic needing to score, Ciftci, who was supposed to be a marquee signing, didn’t even get stripped. That said a lot.

Collins said: “There were a couple of players, in other positions, we thought were getting tired. So we had to be careful who we brought off.

"We knew one or two might not last game or hadn’t played 90 minutes for a while, certainly not in Europe.

“We needed a goal and Leigh Griffiths has been on fire all season, if we had taken him off then people would’ve been asking why we were taking him off. Near enough every game this season he’s scored. So sometimes you can’t win either way.”

Collins made a point about Celtic being top of the league and in a cup semi-final when in his day as a player, that would be seen as a triumph. But with all due respect, this isn’t 1994. Wayne Biggins is not at the club.

Celtic need to get back to being Celtic, as Tommy Burns once said.