If Celtic were looking at the Champions League this week with jealous eyes, then there might also have been some food for thought too.

Ajax were outstanding against Real Madrid. You would need to be to go there and beat them 4-1 on their own patch.

But what it maybe did was give Celtic a little glimmer of hope. I am not saying that Celtic will go and look to emulate that next season or anything like that but it was certainly a thought provoking result.

There has become an expectancy now that getting to the group stages of the Champions League or possibly qualifying out of that would effectively be Celtic’s level and you can appreciate the logic to that.

But the performance of Ajax would definitely offer a suggestion that there is still some romance left in football.

They play in a league that would be marginally stronger than where Celtic are but there are plenty of parallels between the clubs. They have a huge European pedigree and not just a way of playing that has been the hallmark of their club but also a business model that would not be overly different to Celtic’s.

And it offers some encouragement that it is still possible to go and cause a few major surprises in the Champions League. I honestly think that result is one of the outstanding results since the inception of the tournament – and there is no-one that would have given them a chance before the game.

It brings to the fore the importance of trying to bring your own players through from the academy and supplement that with some additional signings. I still think there are bargain to be had.

Look at Kristoffer Ajer. The length of time he has been around at Celtic makes you forget that he is only 20. I think he is a cracking prospect and for me a player who is pushing for forming one half of a central defensive partnership going on to next season.

I always think there is a case for tweaking you current structure if means supplementing the team with players of genuine quality and I do think this summer will see a pretty major rebuilding job as Celtic look to get themselves back into the group stages of the Champions League.

And the only way I think that it won’t be Neil Lennon in charge of that remit is if Celtic somehow implode against Rangers.

I don’t think that will happen. I think the players themselves, regardless of what has happened with the managerial situation, will feel that they have a point to settle after how inept they were against Rangers back in December.

But what I would say in what has been a tumultuous few weeks, the Celtic fans have really got behind the team and lifted them through it.

Managers and players will always come and go at Celtic but the one constant is the support.

And those two wins at Tynecastle and Easter Road were huge in ensuring that Celtic remain on course for this historic Treble Treble.

And while Aberdeen will look to out in a strong display tomorrow afternoon at Celtic Park – the first time Neil Lennon has been back in the dug out at Celtic since his return to the post – I actually think that they will have one eye on their Scottish Cup replay against Rangers on Tuesday night.

I doubt that anyone would ever publicly come out and say that but I think it is inevitable. It is an enormous game for them and if you were to look at it overall, then I think you would place greater significance on the outcome of the replay against Rangers than whatever happens at Celtic Park.

Not that I’ll expect anyone to say it but I do think there is a possible element of distraction there.