A CONVERSATION with a Rangers supporter of my acquaintance came to mind last week as John Collins outlined his bold vision of how he believed Celtic should play to the media.

The chat took place towards the tail end of the 2007/08 season when the Ibrox club was enjoying that memorable run to the UEFA Cup final in Manchester. At the time, Walter Smith’s side still had a chance of winning all four competitions they were involved in – the League Cup, Scottish Cup and the Scottish Premier League were the others.

Those exploits on the continent, where Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina had been overcome, and the prospect of winning a potential quadruple had my friend, along with many others of his persuasion, in thrall. “This could be the most successful season Rangers have had in my lifetime,” he remarked, before adding, “and we’re playing the worst football I’ve ever seen.”

Smith achieved significant success in Europe during his second spell in charge at Ibrox by adopting an unashamedly defensive stance in matches both at home and away.

A negative approach that was dubbed Wattenaccio – a play on catenaccio, the system which Inter Milan made famous in the 1960s – was anything but easy on the eye, but it was certainly effective. Rangers defeated clubs from Greece, Germany, Portugal and Italy to reach only the fourth European final in their history while using it.

Smith is not the only coach in Scotland to have flourished in Europe by accepting the limitations of his charges in matches against opponents from larger footballing nations with far greater budgets to spend on players either. Neil Lennon did exactly the same thing during his time in the dugout at Celtic. Lennon was desperately unlucky when his side just failed to earn a draw with Barcelona in a Champions League group game at the Nou Camp in 2012 after placing the emphasis firmly on defence. Only an injury-time goal by Jordi Alba denied his side a point.

A fortnight later the Scottish champions defeated their feted Spanish rivals, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, David Villa, Xavi et al, 2-1 at Parkhead thanks to a Victor Wanyama header at a set piece and a Tony Watt strike on the counter attack. Celtic would go on and reach the knockout stages for only the third time. Celtic have been unable to reach the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition, never mind progress to the last 16, in three attempts since Ronny Deila, who is assisted by Collins, was appointed last year. Is the Norwegian’s stubborn determination for his side to exhibit attacking football, and the scant regard which he at times appears to pay towards protecting his own team’s goal, responsible for those financially costly failures?

There was a lot of truth to the comments Collins made at the League Cup semi-final draw at Hampden last week. It would be far easier for them to sit back and contain, but Celtic have a great tradition of entertaining supporters with attractive play, and fans certainly like watching overlapping full-backs, one-twos, centre backs advancing upfield with the ball at their feet. It is admirable to endeavour to perform in a manner that excites fans, but there is a serious problem with such an ambitious gameplan if you do not have the players to execute it and the team is getting beaten as a result. The Celtic defence, the centre-backs in particular, have been heavily criticised for their performances this term. Efe Ambrose, Dedryck Boyata, Craig Gordon, Emilio Izaguirre and Charlie Mulgrew have all been savaged after poor showings against Fenerbahce, Malmo and Molde. But how much of it has been their fault? They have often been cruelly exposed by those in front of them.

Celtic may indeed have an obligation to play “the Celtic way”. Much of their play domestically and some of it on the continent has been a delight to watch. But first and foremost, they have to win games. Sacrificing idealism for pragmatism is perfectly acceptable if the end result is victory.

Collins was dismissive, derogatory even, of the manner which Molde had approached their Europa League double header. But the Norwegian champions won both Group A matches, scoring five goals and conceding just two in the process, and progressed to the knockout rounds of a European tournament for the first time ever. Celtic fans would far rather their side served up turgid fare and prevailed than hared forward with reckless abandon at every available opportunity and got humiliated.

Creating a team capable of winning at the highest level by producing champagne football redolent of that of their illustrious forebears is a fine ambition. But it must be a gradual process, a long-term objective, something the coaching staff strives towards over an extended period of time. Collins and Deila cannot expect their side to excel in Europe instantly with the individuals they have at their disposal. It is naive and could ultimately end up costing them their jobs. For now, they should be conscious of what their squad members are able to do and formulate their tactics accordingly.